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TIIE 



CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT: 



-OR — 



THE SUNDAY, THE SABBATH, 



THE 



Change, and -R 



HANGE, AND TvESTITUTION, 



BY W. H. LITTLEJOHK. 



■ 

STEAM PRESS A ^__.. 

OF THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, 

BATTLE CREEK, MICH. : 
1873. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by the 
S. D. A. P. ASSOCIATION, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington 



PKEFACE 



As it lias been thought best that the following articles, 
which have already been published in the Christian States- 
man, the Sabbath Recorder, and the Advent Review, should 
have a still wider circulation, it has been at last decided to 
present them to the public in the form of the present tract. 

The occasion of their first appearance was as follows : 
Within the last few years, a party has been organized in 
this country, whose especial aims are the amendment of the 
Constitution so that the names of God and Christ may appear 
in it ; the recognition in the same instrument of the Bible as 
the fountain of national law ; the securing of the reading of 
the Bible in the common schools ; and the enforcement, by 
law, of the observance of Sunday as the Christian Sabbath. 
Slowly, but steadily, the friends of this movement are bring- 
ing it to the public notice and enlarging the circle of its 
active supporters. A single glance at the existing state of 
affairs reveals the fact that at no distant date the issues 
which these men are making up will be the ones over which 
contending parties will wage fierce contest. Already the 
press of the country, by the drift of events which they find 
themselves incapable of controlling, are compelled almost 
daily to record transactions which are not only calling the 
attention of the people to a conflict which is both imminent 
and irrepressible, but which are also continually adding fuel 
to a flame which even now burns with a fierceness and vol- 

( i» ) 



4 PREFACE. 

ume indicative of its future scope and power. In view of 
these facts, the writer of the subjoined articles, while taking 
no particular interest in party politics merely as such, nev- 
ertheless felt a profound conviction that the time had come, 
in the providence of God, when Christian men should offer a 
solemn protest against a state of affairs which, while inaug- 
urated ostensibly in the interest of the kingdom of Christ, will 
ultimately prove most destructive of religious liberty. This 
he therefore attempted to do purely from the stand-point of the 
Bible. Through the courtesy of the editor of the Christian 
Statesman, which paper is the organ of the amendment party, 
the following communications were permitted to appear in 
the columns of that periodical. The reader will discover 
that they treat the subject almost exclusively from the stand- 
point of the Sabbath ; and, as he proceeds in his examination 
of the positions taken, the writer w T iil most earnestly pray 
that the God of the Sabbath, in whose interest they have 
been penned, will lead him to right conclusions. 

w. II. L. 
Allegan, Mich, 



CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 



ARTICLE I. 



One of the marked features of our time is the 
tendency toward the discussion of the Sabbath 
question. Nor can this subject be treated with 
more indifference in the future than it is at the 
present. Agitation, ceaseless, unrelenting, excit- 
ed, and finally severe, is rendered certain by the 
temper of all the parties to the controversy. On 
the one hand, the friends of Sunday observance 
are dissatisfied with the laxity of the regard 
which is paid it, and are loud in their demands 
for statutory relief ; denouncing upon the nation 
the wrath of God, in unstinted measure, should 
their petition be set at naught. On the other 
hand, the enemies of the Sabbath institution, in 
a]l of its phases, are becoming bold in their pro- 
testations against a legalized Sabbath, as some- 
thing extremely oppressive and inexpressibly in- 
tolerable in its very nature. 

In all parts of the country, activity character- 
izes the camps of both these contending hosts. 
Everywhere the elements of strength—hitherto 
unorganized, and inefficient to the accomplish- 
ment of great results because of that fact — are 
being brought out and employed in effective serv- 
ice. 

Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, Boston, San 
Francisco, in their turn, become the theaters 



6 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

where the skirmish lines of future combatants, 
on a larger scale, are brought into occasional col- 
lision. The ordinary appliances of dinners, pro- 
cessions, national and State conventions, city, 
town, and district societies, are rapidly becoming 
the order of the day, while those who are brought 
within the range of their influence are stimulated 
and aroused, on the one hand, by earnest appeals 
to the Bible and religion, and on the other, to 
natural rights and individual conscience. So far 
has the matter now proceeded, so much has al- 
ready been said, so fully has the contest been 
opened, that retrogression means defeat to either 
the one or the other party. And as to compro- 
mise, this can never be attained, from the fact 
that the position from which both parties are 
now seeking to emerge is that of toleration. 
Why, says the ardent advocate of the Sunday 
law, it is not sufficient that I observe the day of 
rest with strictness and fidelity in my own fam- 
ily. I owe a duty to the public ; I am a member 
of a great Commonwealth, which God treats as a 
personality, and if I do not see to it that the 
statute laws of the land are in harmony with, 
and enforce the requirements of, the law of God, 
this nation, like all others which have ignored 
their obligation to legalize and enforce his will in 
matters of this nature, will be devoted to a ruin 
for which I shall be accountable, and in which I 
shall be a sharer. Moved by such considerations 
as these, his purse is open and his labors untir- 
ing for the accomplishment of that which now 
appears to him to be in the line of both individ- 
ual interest and religious duty. 

Again, his neighbor across the way being, per- 
haps, of the free-thinking order, and an ardent 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 7 

admirer of the complete separation of Church and 
State, wonders that he has so long consented to 
that abridgment of his personal liberty which 
has been made by statutory provision, and which 
has hitherto compelled him to surrender much of 
what he calls natural right to the whims and ca- 
prices of those with whom he differs so widely 
on all questions bearing upon the relation of man 
to his God. Henceforth, says he, I pledge my 
means, my influence, and my untiring effort, to a 
revolution which, if need be, shall shake society 
to its very center, rather than to consent to the 
legalized perpetuation of an institution which 
requires on my part an acknowledgment of a 
faith which I have never held, and of doctrines 
which I detest. 

Of course, all do not share alike, either in the 
enthusiasm or the animosity wdiich characterizes 
certain individuals when entering upon a conflict 
like the one in question. In every party is found 
more or less of the aggressive and the conserva- 
tive elements. Especially is this true in the in- 
cipient stages of its history. Some men are nec- 
essarily more earnest than are others in every- 
thing which they undertake. Some are bold, 
headlong, defiant; others, cautious, slow, and timid. 
One class leaps to its conclusions first, and looks 
for its arguments afterward; the other moves 
circumspectly, and, while it gives a general as- 
sent to the desirability of results, finds a world 
of trouble in deciding upon what means ought to 
be employed in securing them. One is forever 
foaming because of delay, and fears defeat as the 
result of hesitation; while the other protests 
against too rapid and ill-considered action. 

Ijkich is, at present, the condition more espe- 



© CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

cially of the positive side of the Sunday move- 
ment in this country. The strong men and the 
weak men, the resolute men and the undecided 
men, are struggling for the mastery of the policy 
in the camp. One sort discovers no difficulties 
in the way of immediate and complete success. 
Lead us to the front, say they, our cause is just, 
and all that is necessary to success is the courage 
and inspiration of battle. But hold, say the oth- 
ers, not too fast; public sentiment is not pre- 
pared for the issue. And besides, we are not so 
clear in our minds as are you respecting the 
lengths to which this controversy should be car- 
ried, and the line of argument which ought to be 
pursued. Why, say the first, what need can 
there be of more delay ? Nothing is more man- 
ifest than the means which we ought to employ 
for the accomplishment of our purpose. Our 
work is simply that of enforcement. Has not 
God said in so many words, in the decalogue, 
" Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work : 
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 
thy God : in it thou shalt not do any work" ? Is 
not this language explicit ? Is it not a part of 
that law which nearly all Christians acknowledge 
to be binding ? Do we not enforce the observ- 
ance of the remaining commandments by statu- 
tory provision ? And is it not equally clear that 
this should be treated in like manner? Why 
delay, then ? Why not move upon the enemy's 
works with the inspiring battle-cry of " God in 
the Constitution ? " Why not at once clamor for 
the amendment of that instrument, and for the 
passage of statutes by which the better observ- 
ance of the Christian Sabbath can be secured ? 
Give us these, and our victory is won. Our 



SUNDAY AND THE SAEEATH. 9 

Sunday mails, and trains, and travel, and public 
amusements of every name and nature, can be 
removed at a single stroke. As a result, the na- 
tion will stand higher in the estimation of God ; 
and the people, having acknowledged his suprem- 
acy, will have taken a long step in the direction 
of final renovation and conversion. 

But wait, says another, not too fast in matters 
of so great moment. Please bear in mind the 
fact that this contest is to be one of words and 
arguments. Your danger is that of underrating 
the capacity and intelligence of our opponents. 
If you expect to meet them successfully, it must 
be by a logic which will bear criticism and ex- 
amination. 

As an individual, I am by no means certain 
that the Bible authority for our movement is so 
clear and abundant as you seem to imagine. 

The law which you quote in justification of 
our course is truly a Sabbath law, and its import 
is unmistakable; but, unfortunately, instead of 
making for our cause, it is diametrically opposed 
to your efforts, and plainly declares that the sev- 
enth clay of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord, 
whereas you are unmistakably occupying before 
the world a position no less awkward than that 
of insisting that the first, and not the seventh, is 
the one which should be enforced by legal enact- 
ment. While, therefore, I am in full sympathy 
with the general purposes of this movement, I am 
convinced that, before we shall succeed, we must 
rest it upon a different basis than the fourth com- 
mandment. So far as my individual preferences 
go — in order to avoid the difficulties which lie 
along the line of Scripture justification for our 
conduct — I suggest that we rest it upon the 



10 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

broad principle of social necessity, relying for 
our success upon the generally conceded fact that 
rest upon one day in seven is indispensable to the 
well-being of individuals and communities. 

But, says a third party, while I agree with you 
in condemning the proposition that the fourth 
commandment, as originally given, furnishes us 
warrant for the observance of the first day of the 
week, I can never consent to the idea of its un- 
conditional repeal ; for without it in some form 
we are entirely without a Sabbath law ; a condi- 
tion of things which would be deplorable indeed. 
I therefore conclude that that law has been 
brought over into our dispensation, and so far 
changed as to adapt it to the enforcement of the 
observance of the first day of the week, agreea- 
bly to the example of Christ and the apostles. 
With this view, I can safely predict power and 
triumph for the grand scheme upon which we 
have entered. Give us a Sabbath of divine ap- 
pointment and backed by a sacred precept, and 
victory is certain. But so sure as we lower the 
controversy to one which is merely corporeal in 
its nature and results, and pecuniary in its con- 
siderations, defeat is written upon our banners, 
since you have taken from us all the inspiration 
of the contest, and dried up the very springs of 
our enthusiasm and courage. 

What the final result of such discussions will 
be, there is little room for doubt. That a revolu- 
tion is fairly inaugurated in the minds of the 
people, it is now too late to question. What re- 
mains to be done, therefore, is simply to execute 
the grand purpose for which it has been instituted. 

That this cannot be accomplished by a merely 
negative policy, has been illustrated too many 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 11 

times in history to require further demonstration. 
Men, having once entered the field of conflict, 
universally become less and less scrupulous in re- 
gard to the means employed to secure the desired 
object. In the primary meetings of a great 
movement, the voice of the conservative may be 
listened to with attention and respect ; but should 
he give expression to the same prudent counsel 
upon the battle field, when the sword of the en- 
emy is red with the blood of his compatriots, his 
utterances would be silenced in a storm of indig- 
nation such as would threaten his very existence, 
and consign his name to the list of those whose 
fidelity was at least questionable, and whose 
sympathy with the common foe was far from be- 
ing impossible. 

So, likewise, with the half-way men in this in- 
cipient struggle, which is about to throw open 
the gates of controversy upon one of those relig- 
ious questions which, above all others, is sure 
to be characterized, first, by uncharitableness, 
and finally, by bitter hate and animosity. With 
each advancing month, their hold upon the confi- 
dence of their associates will grow less and less, 
and the counsels of their party will come more 
and more fully under the control of those posi- 
tive, nervous spirits, who are swept along by 
convictions so deep and strong that they will bear 
down everything before them. 

Nevertheless, candid reader, it is by no means 
certain that there may not be much of truth in 
the positions assumed by the more moderate men 
in the existing issue. At all events — since we 
have not as yet entered into that impassioned 
state of the public mind from which calm delib- 
eration is banished by the necessity of immediate 



12 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

action — let us pause here for a moment, and care- 
fully weigh the correctness of the suggestions 
presented above. 

Is it worth the while to enter the lists in the 
approaching struggle, in order to secure the re- 
sults proposed ? 

I say proposed, because, of course, the result is 
as yet more or less uncertain ; nevertheless, we 
incline to the opinion that the end desired will 
be substantially realized, so far as appearance is 
concerned. Yet this will not be brought about 
in a moment, nor will it be accomplished without 
a hard fight. It must, from the very necessity of 
the case, be a contest which will enter, divide, 
and distract families, and which will alienate a 
large portion of the community from the other. 
But, with a united and well-drilled ministry, on 
the one hand, backed by the compact organiza- 
tion of their respective churches, and opposed by 
a heterogeneous mass of discordant elements, 
there can be little doubt as to final success. 

First, then, let us suppose that the policy in- 
augurated shall be that of the class represented 
above as desiring to strip the subject of its relig- 
ious garb, and to array it in the habiliments of 
mere policy and temporal considerations. Are 
the benefits reasonably to be expected from such 
a course such as would warrant the enthusiasm 
now manifested by the advocates of the proposed 
reformation ? We believe not. In fine, so cer- 
tain are we of it, that we should not hesitate to 
predict immediate and perfect paralysis to their 
efforts, so soon as they should inscribe this doc- 
trine upon their banners. How many of the 
gentlemen in question are really so profoundly 
interested in the social status of the working-man 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 13 

that their zeal in his behalf could be wrought up 
to the point of sacrificing time and money, and 
of devoting voice and pen to the mere work of 
giving him a septenary day of physical rest ? 
What satisfaction would be afforded them by the 
reflection that, as the result of legal enactment, 
the carefully appointed police in our great cities 
should be able to meet each other on the boundary 
lines of their respective beats, on the morning of 
Sunday, with the accustomed salutation, All is 
quiet ! and cessation from labor is complete in all 
parts of the great metropolis ? Who would 
highly prize a coerced rest of this sort ? What 
particular gratification would be afforded to the 
religious world, as they gather, in their costly 
churches, by the thought that the great mass of 
the people were quietly sleeping, or lazily loung- 
ing in the various places of their retirement ? 
Certainly there is nothing in such a state of 
things which offers results sufficiently desirable 
either to reward them for the great sacrifices with 
which it would be necessary that they should be 
purchased, in the first instance, or to secure that 
patient continuance in vigilant perseverance 
which would be required to insure the perpetuity 
of an order of things at once so compulsory and 
so precarious. We say, therefore, that to rest 
the contest upon this issue would be simply to 
falsify the facts. It is not the physical consider- 
ation of rest, in any large degree, which animates 
the mind and strengthens the resolve of those 
engaged in the newly organized reform. No; 
there is something behind all this. The inform- 
ing soul, that which electrifies, stimulates, and 
nerves to action, is the profound conviction that 
this is a religious movement ; that which is 



14 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

sought is the honoring of God by the observance 
of a Sabbath such as is found in his word. If 
this be not so, if the higher idea of Christian 
worship as the primary one is not paramount in 
this matter, then the whole thing is a farce, from 
beginning to end. Not only so ; if what is sought 
is merely the improvement of bodily condition, 
then the plan suggested is, in many cases, far 
from being the best which might be offered. 
Take, if you please, our over-populated cities, 
with the dense masses of human beings who are 
there crowded together, under most unfavorable 
circumstances, many of them perishing for lack 
of pure air, and others pale and sickly for want 
of exposure to the vivifying rays of the sun, 
which is continually shut out from their gaze by 
the massive piles of masonry by which they are 
inclosed ; who will not say that, leaving the spir- 
itual out of consideration, and setting aside the 
idea of the sanctity of the day, it would be a 
blessing incalculably greater for them, should 
provision be made whereby this should become 
to them a day of recreation, while wandering 
amid flowers, and over hills, and through groves, 
instead of one in which, either from necessity 
or choice, they should still perpetuate the con- 
finement which has already nearly proved fatal 
in their cases ? 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 15 



ARTICLE II, 



Turning from the secular phase of this subject, 
let us regard it for a moment from the religious 
stand-point. 

Is there anything in the purpose itself which 
is worthy of the cost at which alone it can be 
realized ? In other words, since the object aimed 
at is ostensibly that of bringing the nation up to 
the point of a general regard for the first day of 
the week as a Sabbath, would such a result be 
one which should be profoundly desired ? 

We reply that this will depend altogether upon 
circumstances. In this case, as in the first, mere 
cessation from labor on that day, which is not 
prompted by a regard for the will and approval 
of Jehovah, could afford no relief to a nation 
which is seeking to avert divine displeasure, 
since there is no element in the act itself calcu- 
lated to recommend it to the favor of Heaven. 
To illustrate : The individual sentenced to soli- 
tary confinement in the State's Prison is pre- 
cluded from the possibility of laboring on the 
Sunday ; will any one therefore argue that there 
is any merit in his inaction on that day ? Again: 
The heathen nations, in common with the ma- 
jority of the Christian world, have many of them 
regarded the Sunday as a sacred day ; should we 
presume, therefore, that they are looked upon by 
the Almighty more complacently on this account? 
You answer, No ; and urge, as a reason for this 
reply, that they have been engaged in a false 
worship, and have not been actuated by any re- 



16 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

gard for the true God. Where, then, is the line \ 
Manifestly, right here: The men who honor God 
by the keeping of any day must be prompted by 
the conviction that they are doing it in strict and 
cheerful obedience to a divine command. 

Here, then, is the crucible in which we will 
try the metal of this modern movement. If, 
when their grand design shall be accomplished — 
as the result of many labors and toils — and, even 
though before their purpose is attained, it shall 
be found necessary for them to reach their object 
through a conflict intensely bitter and impas- 
sioned on the part of the opposition, we shall 
witness the spectacle of a nation bowing submis- 
sively to the lavj and ivill of God in the humble 
and fervent observance of a weekly rest of divine 
appointment, it will be the grandest triumph 
which history has recorded. No treasure of gold 
— we were about to say no sacrifice of life — 
would be too great a price to pay for so glorious 
a victory. Let it be understood, however, that 
this must be a voluntary and intelligent worship 
on the part, at least, of the mass of the people. 

But will this be true, should our friends com- 
pass the great object of their ambition ? Let us 
inquire once more after their intentions. What 
is it they advocate ? The answer is, A universal 
regard for the first day of the week, as the Sab- 
bath of the Lord. 

But what is the authority upon which the 
majority of them rest their argument for the 
proposed observance? Is it merely pecuniary 
advantage ? No, say they, it is out of a sincere 
regard for the God of Heaven, and a conscientious 
desire to fulfill his law. But this implies religious 
duty. So far, so good. It also clearly sets forth 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 17 

the fact that God has a law, and a Sabbath 
which it enforces. The appeal, therefore, must 
inevitably be to that law, as the proper instru- 
ment from which to instruct the people. 

To that they must be brought, again and again. 
Its import must be patiently taught, its sacred- 
ness must be thoroughly inculcated. Let them 
but be satisfied by sound logic that the divine 
statute is explicit in its demands for a strict ob- 
servance of the first day of the week, let them be 
thoroughly educated into the idea that they are 
under its jurisdiction, and let them be instructed 
that this whole movement proceeds upon this 
religious conviction, and you have laid a founda- 
tion which will uphold a structure of imposing 
dimensions and enduring character, the corner- 
stone whereof is the fear of God, and an acknowl- 
edgment of his presence in the affairs of men. 
But how is it in the case in question ? Is the 
commandment of a nature such as to support, in 
every particular, the tenets presented by the 
reform under consideration ? This is really the 
vital point. Let it speak for itself. It is the 
fourth of the decalogue which is urged. " Re- 
member the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six 
days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work ; but 
the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor 
thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor 
thy maid- servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stran- 
ger that is within thy gates : for in six days the 
Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all 
that in them is, and rested the seventh day : 
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath clay, and 
hallowed it." If this is not a Sabbath law, then 



18 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

there is none in existence ; for, mark it, this is 
the only instance in all the Scriptures in which 
it will be claimed by any one that we have a 
positive command for the observance of the Sab- 
bath. So far, therefore, as the first day of the 
week is concerned, its friends have this advant- 
age, that, if they but succeed in resting it upon 
this commandment, their labor is ended ; for it — 
i. e., the commandment — has no rival. All that 
is needed, consequently, is a clear, pointed exege- 
sis showing that the day in question is the one, 
the observance of which the divine Lawgiver has 
required. But, unfortunately, such an exegesis 
would be beset with difficulties. To begin with, 
Who shall be able to harmonize the declaration 
which the commandment contains in these words, 
" The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
God : in it thou shalt not do any work," with the 
utterance of those who, on the contrary, say that 
the first day is the Sabbath of the Lord, and 
must be observed as such ? The divine Law- 
giver — as if determined that there shall be no 
room for debate in regard to the day which he 
had in his mind — has identified it in a manner 
such as to leave no room for dispute. In the 
first place, he announces his willingness that six 
days of the week should be devoted to secular 
employment, " Six days shalt thou labor, and do 
all thy work :" then follows the disjunctive, " but 
— the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
God : in it thou shalt not do any work." Here 
it is made plain that it is the " Sabbath of the 
Lord " upon which we are to rest. Again, pass- 
ing over the intermediate space, we come to the 
close of the commandment, in which he sets forth 
three important transactions by which that was 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 19 

constituted the Sabbath, and by which it may 
ever be recognized. He says, " For in six days 
the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all 
that in them is, and rested the seventh day: 
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and 
hallowed it." That is, the day which we are 
to keep as the Sabbath of the Lord is the one 
upon which he rested, which he blessed, and 
w^hich he halloiued. Therefore, before the first 
day of the week can, with any show of reason, 
be kept in fulfillment of this commandment, i. e., 
before it can be regarded as the " Sabbath of the 
Lord/' it must be shown that, at some time, God 
has rested upon it. blessed, and hallowed it. But 
this would be a difficult task ; for not only are 
the Scriptures silent, so far as the affirmation of 
this fact is concerned with reference to the first 
day of the week, but, on the contrary, they posi- 
tively declare that it was the very day upon 
which Jehovah entered upon the stupendous 
undertaking of making a tvorld. Should addi- 
tional evidence be required on this point, i. e., 
that the last day of the week, and not the first, is 
the one which Jehovah intended to sanctify, we 
have but to cite the intelligent reader to the fact 
that Moses, the prophets, the Lord himself, the 
holy women after his death, and the whole Jew- 
ish nation — in whose language the decalogue was 
given — are, and have been, unanimous in placing 
this construction upon the Sabbatic law. 

Should any, however, perceiving the dilemma 
into which they are thrown by the effort to en- 
force their view in the use of the law, as it was 
originally given, seek relief in the position that 
it was so far amended in the days of Christ as to 
admit of the substitution of the day of his resur- 



20 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

rection for that of God's rest at the end of crea- 
tion week, we reply, If such a fact can be clearly 
made out, it would certainly furnish the very 
help which is needed just at this juncture, and 
without which confusion must inevitably char- 
acterize the movements of those who feel the 
necessity of a Sabbatic law for the keeping of 
Sunday. 

Let us, therefore, carefully investigate this 
most important point. Is it true that the Son of 
God did so change the phraseology of the com- 
mandment of the Father that, from his time 
forward, its utterances have not only justified 
the secularizing of the last, but have also en- 
forced, by the penalty of eternal death, a strictly 
religious regard for the first day of the week, on 
the part of both the Jewish and the Gentile 
world ? Now this, if accomplished, was no tri- 
fling affair, and could not have been done in a 
corner ; since it involved the guilt or innocence, 
the life or death, of countless millions of men and 
women, whose condemnation in the day of Judg- 
ment for the violation of Sunday sanctity would 
turn, of necessity, upon the words of one who 
both had the power to change, and had brought 
the knowledge of that change clearly before 
them. Certain it is, therefore — since God does 
not first judge, and legislate afterward — all the 
light which is necessary for the proper elucida- 
tion of this subject is now to be found in his 
written word. To this, then, we turn ; and with 
a profound conviction that the language of Christ 
was true in its largest sense, " If any man will do 
his will he shall know of the doctrine/' — we in- 
quire, Where is it stated, in so many ivords, that 
God made the amendment in question ? 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 21 

Should the response be returned, as it certainly 
must be, that such a statement is not to be found 
within the lids of the Bible, we answer that this 
is a concession which, most assuredly, will great- 
ly embarrass our friends in the proposed reform. 
Sagacious men will not be slow in discovering its 
bearing upon the subject, and it will be very 
difficult to explain such an omission to the satis- 
faction of cautious and reflecting minds. Should 
it be suggested, however, that — notwithstanding 
the fact the change has not been set forth in so 
many words — it has nevertheless occurred, and 
is therefore binding, we answer: Although the 
transaction upon the face of it, to say the least, 
would be a singular one, if an alteration has re- 
ally been made, the next thing to be ascertained 
is its precise nature. We have already seen that 
the first law was very explicit in its statements ; 
and all are conversant with the fact that to it 
was given the greatest publicity, and that it was 
uttered by the voice, and written by the finger 
of God, under the most imposing circumstances. 
Now, if Christ — whose power to do so we shall 
not question here — has really undertaken the 
task of adding to, or taking from, this most sacred 
precept, will some one furnish us with an au- 
thentic copy of the statute, as amended ? Now 
this is a reasonable and just request. To declare 
simply that a change has occurred, without mak- 
ing known precisely what that change is, is but 
to bewilder and confuse. Conscious of this fact, 
the State is always extremely careful to give to 
its citizens — in the most public manner — every 
variation which is made in its enactments, lest 
the loyal man should be incapable of proving his 
fidelity by obedience, or the disloyal justify his 



22 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

violation upon the plea of necessary ignorance. 
Shall man be more just than his Maker ? Shall 
Christ — who, in every other respect, has, in mat- 
ters of duty, furnished us with line upon line, 
and precept upon precept — be found, at last, upon 
this most important point, to have been unmind- 
ful of the highest interests of his followers ? Most 
assuredly not. He that never slumbereth nor 
sleepeth, He that knoweth the end from the be- 
ginning, He who hath said, " Where there is no 
law there is no transgression," has certainly never 
required his people to occupy a position in the 
face of their enemies so extremely embarrassing 
as that in which they would be compelled to 
ignore the plainest dictates of reason and Script- 
ure, by seeking to condemn in the world a prac- 
tice which is not necessarily immoral in itself, 
and against which there is no explicit denuncia- 
tion of the Bible. Who, then, we inquire again, 
will furnish us from the sacred page the precept 
so remodeled as to meet the exigences of this 
case ? Is it larger or more condensed than be- 
fore ? Does the first clause read, " Remember 
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy ¥ If so, it is 
well. Is the second in order expressed in these 
words, " Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy 
work ¥ This, again, is good. But how is it 
with the third, " The seventh day is the Sabbath 
of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not do any 
work ¥ Here, unquestionably, the change must 
begin. Who among us, therefore, can produce 
the divine warrant for a reading of this passage 
which shall make it harmonize with the keeping 
of Sunday ? Who dare declare, upon his verac- 
ity, that he has ever discovered in the sacred 
word an instance in which it has been so re- 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 23 

written as to read, "But the first day is the Sab- 
bath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not 
do any work V 

Furthermore, passing over the instructions in 
regard to sons, daughters, servants, the stranger, 
etc, what has the pen of the divine remodeler 
done with the reason of the commandment as 
found in the words, " For in six days the Lord 
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in 
them is, and rested the seventh day : wherefore 
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed 
it ?" Has that been stricken out altogether ? Or, 
is there a glaring inconsistency in the remodeled 
statute, by which it is made to state that the first 
day of the week, instead of the seventh, is now 
the Sabbath of the Lord our God, because of the 
fact that, in the creation of the world, God rested 
upon, blessed, and hallowed, the latter ? These 
are weightj^ questions. Upon them, virtually, 
turns the issue of an amended law. For, to 
amend, is so to change or alter as to vary the 
duty of a subject; and if no one is capable of 
informing definitely and particularly in regard to 
the precise variations of the phraseology, then, of 
course, no one is able to decide just how far our 
course of action should deviate from what it has 
been hitherto, in order to meet the demands of 
the divine will as now expressed, in a rule which 
has never been seen, and which no hand would 
venture to trace with any claim to exactitude. 
Who, then, we inquire again, is sufficient for this 
task ? Not one among the millions of Protestants 
who are so earnestly clamoring for the sanctity 
of the day in question will seriously lay claim to 
the ability to perform that which would at once 
elevate him to a position — in view of the relief 



24 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

which it would bring to thousands of troubled 
minds — more exalted than that of any saint or 
martyr who has ever lived. 

Nor is this all; behind all this pretentious 
claim for an amended law are very many indica- 
tions of a wide-spread conviction — though unde- 
fined and hardly recognized by the individuals 
themselves — that the fact upon which they place 
so much stress is, after all, one in regard to which 
there are serious doubts in their own minds. As 
an illustration of this, we have but to call atten- 
tion to two things. First, on each Lord's day, 
so-called, thousands of congregations — after de- 
voutly listening to the reading of the fourth com- 
mandment of the decalogue, word for word, syl- 
lable for syllable, letter for letter, precisely as it 
was written upon the table of stone by the finger 
of God — are in the habit of responding with sol- 
emn cadence to the utterances of the preacher, 
" Lord, incline our hearts to keep this law/' 
Now this prayer means something, or nothing. 
It is either an expression of desire, on the part of 
those employing it, for grace to enable them 
rightly to observe the commandment as it reads 
—seventh day and all — or else it is a solemn 
mockery, which must inevitably provoke the 
wrath of Heaven. These people, therefore, judg- 
ing from the most charitable stand-point, are wit- 
nesses — unconscious though they may be of the 
fact — of a generally pervading opinion that the 
verbiage of the fourth commandment has not 
been changed, and that it is as a whole as bind- 
ing as ever. Second, nor is it simply true that 
those only who have a liturgy have committed 
themselves to this idea. It is astonishing to 
what extent it has crept into creeds, confessions 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 25 

of faith, church disciplines, and documents of a 
like nature. But among the most striking of all 
evidences of its universality, when properly un- 
derstood, is the practice of nearly all religious de- 
nominations of printing, for general distribution 
among the Sunday-school scholars, verbatim cop- 
ies of the decalogue, as given in the twentieth 
chapter of Exodus. Yet this practice would be 
a pernicious one, and worthy of the most severe 
censure, as calculated to lead astray and deceive 
the minds of the young, if it were really true 
that this code, in at least one very important par- 
ticular, failed to meet the facts in the case, as it 
regards present duty. 

In view of these considerations, a change of the 
base of operations becomes indispensable. A 
commandment, altered in its expressions so as to 
vary its import, and yet no one acquainted with 
the exact terms in which it is at present couched 
— and all, in reality, being so skeptical upon 
the point that even its most ardent advocates 
reason as if it had never occurred — would cer- 
tainly furnish a foundation altogether insufficient 
for the mighty superstructure of a great reform, 
which proposes, ere the accomplishment of its 
mission, to revolutionize the State. 



ARTICLE III, 



Where, then, shall we turn for relief? There 
is one, and but one, more chance. 

Acknowledging that the law, as originally 
given, will not answer the purpose, and that its 



26 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

amendment cannot be made out with sufficient 
clearness to warrant the taking of a stand upon 
it, we turn, for the last time, to examine a posi- 
tion quite generally advanced ; namely, that of 
Sunday observance inaugurated, justified, and 
enforced, by the resurrection and example of 
Christ. Is it true, then, that such is the fact ? 
Have we, at last, found relief from all our diffi- 
culties in the life and career of no less a person- 
age than the divine Son of God ? Let us see. 
The point of the argument is briefly this : — 
Our Lord — by rising from the dead, and by 
his practice of meeting with his disciples on that 
day — both introduced, and made obligatory upon 
his followers, the necessity of distinguishing be- 
tween the first and the remaining days of the 
week, as we would between the sacred and the 
profane. Now, if this be a case which can be 
clearly made out, then we are immediately re- 
lieved in one particular ; that is, we have found 
authority for the observance of the Sunday. But 
how is it as it regards the seventh day ? This, 
we have seen, was commanded by God the 
Father. The obligation of that command is still 
recognized. Now, consequently, if Christ the 
Son has, upon his own authority, introduced 
another day immediately following the seventh, 
and clothed it with divine honors, is it a neces- 
sary inference that the former is therefore set 
aside ? To our mind, it is far from being such. 
If God has a law for the observance of a given 
day, and Christ has furnished us with an exam- 
ple for that of another also, then the necessary 
conclusion is, that the first must be kept out of 
respect for God the Father, and the last through 
reverence to Christ the Son. Three facts, there- 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 27 

fore, must be clearly made out, or our situation 
is indeed one of perplexity. 

First, it must be shown, authoritatively, that 
the resurrection effected the change which is 
urged, and that the practice of Christ was what 
it is claimed to have been. 

Second, that that practice was designed to be 
exemplary ; in other words, that what he did in 
these particulars was of a nature such that we 
are required to imitate it. 

Third, it must also be shown that he not only 
sanctified the first, but, also, that he secularized 
the seventh day of the week. 

But can this be done ? Let us see. First, 
then, we will consider the matter of the resur- 
rection. Now, that it was an event of surpassing 
glory, and one ever to be held in grateful re- 
membrance, there is no room for dispute among 
Christians. But shall we, therefore, decide that 
it must of necessity be commemorated by a day 
of rest ? This would be assuming a great deal. 
It seems to us that it would be better, far better, 
to leave decisions of such importance as this 
entirely with the Holy Spirit. Protestants, at 
least, warned by the example of Eoman Catholics, 
should avoid the danger of attempting to admin- 
ister in the matter of designating holy days; 
since, manifestly, this is alone the province of 
God. Hence, we inquire, Has the Holy Ghost 
ever said that the resurrection of Christ imparted 
a holy character to the day upon which it occur- 
red ? The answer must, undeniably, be in the 
negative. No such declaration is found in the 
Holy Word. Nor is this all; even from the 
stand-point of human reason, every analogy is 
against it. It were fitting that, when God had 



28 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

closed the work of creation, and ceased to labor, 
he should appoint a day in commemoration of 
that rest. The propriety of such a course, all 
can see. But, on the contrary, is it not equally 
manifest that to have remained inactive on that 
glorious morning, when the Son of God had burst 
the bands of death, and the news was flying 
through all parts of the great city of Jerusalem, 
" Jesus has risen to life again," would have 
been a condition of things wholly out of the 
question ? Both the enemies and the friends of 
Christ — the one class stimulated by hate, and the 
other released by the mighty power of God from 
the overwhelming gloom and crushing despond- 
ency of three terrible days — were, by the very 
necessities of the case, moved to action by an en- 
ergy which would cause them to overleap every 
barrier and to break away from every restraint. 
Everything, everywhere, animated by the new 
aspect which affairs had suddenly assumed, 
demanded immediate, ceaseless, and untiring 
activity. And such it had. From the early 
morning, until far into the hours of the succeed- 
ing night, scribe and Pharisee, priest and Levite, 
believer and unbeliever, were hearing, gathering, 
and distributing, all that could be learned of this 
most mysterious event. We say, consequently, 
that so far is it from being true that the day of 
the resurrection is one which should be hallowed, 
either exactly or substantially as that of the 
decalogue, the very opposite is the fact ; and, if 
it were to be celebrated at all, every consideration 
of fitness demands that it should be done by ex- 
cessive demonstrations of outward and uncon- 
trolled joy, rather than by quietude and restraint. 
Passing now to the other branches of the sub- 



SUNDAY AXD THE SABBATtL 29 

jeet, we inquire, finally, What was there in the 
example of Christ and the apostles which in any 
way affects the question ? If they are to be 
quoted at all upon this subject, it is but reason- 
able that their history should be examined with 
reference both to the seventh and the first day ; 
for, if precedent, and not positive enactment, is 
to be the rule by which our faith is to be decided, 
in a point of this significance, it is at least pre- 
sumable that the historic transactions by which 
this question is to be determined will be ample 
in number, and of a nature to meet and explain 
all the phases of the subject. That is, the Gos- 
pels and the Acts of the Apostles — covering, as 
their history does, a period of about thirty years 
— will afford numerous and conclusive evidences 
that both Christ and the apostles did actually 
dishonor the old, and invest with peculiar dignity 
and authority the new, Sabbath. First, we in- 
quire then, Is there, in all the New Testament, 
the record of a single instance in which Jesus or 
his followers transacted, upon the seventh day of 
the week, matters incompatible with the notion 
of its original and continued sanctity ? The 
answer is, of necessity, in the negative. The 
most careful and protracted search has failed to 
produce a single case in which the son of Joseph 
and Mary departed in this particular from the 
usages of his nation, or in which his immediate 
representatives, during the period of their ca- 
nonical history, failed to follow, in the most scru- 
pulous manner, the example of Him of whom it 
is said that, " as his custom was, he went into the 
synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for 
to read." (Luke 4:16.) Nor is this all ; it is a 
remarkable fact, and one well calculated to stag- 



30 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT, 

ger the investigator at the very threshold of his 
researches into the data for the modern view, 
that, whereas the Sabbath is mentioned fifty-six 
times in the New Testament, it is in every in- 
stance, save one (where it refers to the annual 
sabbaths of the Jews), applied to the last day of 
the week. So tar, therefore, as the negative ar- 
gument is concerned, which was based upon the 
presumption that the claims of the old day were 
constructively annulled by the appointment of a 
new one, its force is entirely broken by the rec- 
ord, which, as we have seen, instead of proving 
such an abolition, is rather suggestive of the 
perpetuity of the old order of things. Hence, we 
turn to the positive side of the subject. 

How do we know that Christ ever designed 
that his example should produce in our minds 
the conviction that he had withdrawn his regard 
from the day of his Father's rest, and placed it 
upon that of his own resurrection ? Did he, in 
laying the foundation for the new institution — 
as in the case of the Lord's supper — inaugurate 
the same by his own action, and then say to his 
disciples, As oft as ye do this, do it in remem- 
brance of me ! Did he ever explain to any indi- 
vidual that his especial object in meeting with 
his followers on the evenings of the first and 
second Sundays (?) after his return from the 
dead was designed to inspire in the minds of 
future believers the conviction that those hours, 
from that time forward, had been consecrated to 
a, religious use f If so, the record is very imper- 
fect, in that it failed to hand down to us a most 
significant fact. I say significant, because, with- 
out such a declaration, the minds of common 
men, such as made up the rank and file of the 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH, 31 

immediate followers of Christ, were hardly com- 
petent to the subtile task of drawing, unaided, 
such nice distinctions. How natural, how easy, 
by a single word, to have put all doubt to rest, 
and to have given to future ages a foundation, 
broad and deep, upon which to ground the argu- 
ment for the change. 

But this, as we have already seen, was not 
done ! and after the lapse of eighteen hundred 
years, men — in the stress of a situation which 
renders it necessary that they should obtain di- 
vine sanction, in order to the perpetuity of a 
favored institution — are ringing the changes of 
an endless variety of conjectures drawn from, 
transactions, which, in the record itself, were 
mentioned as possessing no peculiar characteris- 
tics, which should in any way affect the mere 
time upon which they occurred. 

Let us, therefore, with a proper sense of the 
modesty with which we should ever enter upon 
the task of deciding upon the institutions of the 
church, when there is no divine precept for the 
guidance of our judgment, examine for ourselves. 
As we do this, it will be well, also, to bear in 
mind the fact that our prejudices will be very 
likely to lie entirely upon the side of life-long 
practice and traditionary inheritance. In fact, 
nearly every consideration, political, financial, 
and social, will be found, if not guarded with the 
strictest care, wooing us to a decision which — 
though it might dishonor God, and do violence 
to the principles of a clear, natural logic — would 
exempt us, individually, from personal sacrifice 
and pecuniary loss. 



32 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 



ARTICLE IV. 



First, then, we suggest that it would be well 
to collate all the texts in the New Testament in 
which the first day of the week is mentioned. 
They are as follows : " In the end of the Sabbath, 
as it began to dawn toward the first day of the 
week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary 
to see the sepulcher." Matt. 28 : 1. 

"And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Mag- 
dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Sa- 
lome, had bought sweet spices, that they might 
come and anoint Him. And very early in the 
morning, the first day of the week, they came 
unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun." 
Mark 16 : 1, 2. 

"Now when Jesus was risen early the first 
day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Mag- 
dalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." 
Mark 16: 9. 

"And they returned, and prepared spices and 
ointments ; and rested the Sabbath day accord- 
ing to the commandment. Now upon the first 
day of the week, very early in the morning, they 
came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices 
which they had prepared, and certain others with 
them." Luke 23 : 56, and 24 : 1. 

" The first day of the week cometh Mary Mag- 
dalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the 
sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from 
the sepulcher." John 20 : 1. 

" Then the same day at evening, being the first 
day of the week, when the doors were shut 



SUS DAY AND THE SABBATH. 33 

where the disciples were assembled for fear of 
the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and 
saith unto them, Peace be unto you." John 20 :19. 

" Upon the first day of the week let every one 
of you lay by him in store, as God hath pros- 
pered him, that there be no gatherings when I 
come/ 5 1 Cor. 16 : 2. 

"And upon the first day of the week, when the 
disciples came together to break bread, Paul 
preached unto them, ready to depart on the mor- 
row ; and continued his speech until midnight." 
Acts 20 : 7. 

Doubtless the reader is not a little surprised, 
provided he has never given his attention to 
the subject before, at discovering the meager- 
ness, so far as numbers at least are concerned, of 
the passages alluded to above. Nevertheless, let 
us take the data thus furnished, and from them 
endeavor to derive all the information which 
they can legitimately be made to afford. At first 
glance, it will be discovered that six of the pas- 
sages of Scripture under consideration relate to 
one and the same day, which was that of the res- 
urrection. Written as they were from five to 
sixty-two years this side of that occurrence, and 
penned by men who were profoundly interested 
in everything which was calculated to throw 
light upon matters of duty and doctrine, we 
would naturally expect that they would seize 
these most favorable opportunities for instructing 
those whom they were endeavoring to enlighten 
in regard to the time of, and circumstances con- 
nected with, the change of the Sabbath. Let us 
observe, therefore, how they discharge this most 
important responsibility. It will not be urged 



34 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

by any that John 20 : 1, and Mark 16 : 9, furnish 
anything which in any way strengthens the 
Sunday argument. The statements which they 
contain are merely to the effect that Mary Mag- 
dalene was the one to whom Christ first presented 
himself and that she visited the tomb very early 
in the morning. Neither will it be insisted that 
the declaration found in Matt. 28 : 1, and Mark 
16 : 1, 2, and Luke 23 : 56, and 24 : 1, afford any 
positive testimony for the sanctity of the first 
day of the week. On the contrary, we think 
that every candid person will concede that the 
bearing which they have upon the subject is 
rather against, than favorable to, the case which 
our friends are so anxious to make out. To il- 
lustrate : In Matt. 28 : 1, we read that " in the 
end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward 
the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene, 
and the other Mary, to see the sepulcher." Again, 
in Mark 16:1, 2, the same general fact is stated, 
with the simple variation that, instead of the 
expression, in the end of the Sabbath, are substi- 
tuted the words, " when the Sabbath was passed/' 
while in Luke 23:56, and 24 : 1, it is declared 
that these things transpired on the first day of 
the week, the context carefully setting forth the 
fact that the women had " rested upon the Sab- 
bath, according to the commandment/' and that 
it being past, they came to the sepulcher, bring- 
ing with them the spices which they had pre- 
pared. 

Now, putting all these things together, what 
have we learned ? Manifestly, the following 
facts : First ; when the events transpired which 
are set forth in these scriptures, there was a Sab- 
bath ; since it is stated, by way of locating them 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 35 

in point of time, that the Sabbath had ended 
before the affairs spoken of were transacted. 
Secondly ; that the Sabbath, to which reference 
was made, was the seventh day of the week, 
since it preceded the first, and was that of the 
commandment. Thirdly ; that, if the first day of 
the week was a Sabbath, as is now claimed, the 
women were ignorant of it, since it is clear that 
they did not go to the tomb on the seventh day 
to embalm the body, because of its being holy 
time ; whereas, upon the first day of the week 
their scruples were gone, and they came to the 
sepulcher, bearing their spices with them, to ac- 
complish a work which they would not have re- 
garded as legitimate on the Sabbath. Fourthly ; 
that the seventh day was not only the Sabbath 
at the time mentioned, but also that, according 
to the convictions of the historians, it was the 
Sabbath at the time of their writing — since they 
apply to it the definite article " the ; " whereas, 
if there had been a change of Sabbaths, it would 
have been natural to have distinguished between 
them in the use of explanatory words and phrases, 
such as are now applied, as, for instance, "the 
Jewish Sabbath," "the Christian Sabbath," &c, 
&c. Fifthly; that, while Matthew, Mark, and Luke 
do, in every instance cited above, honor the seventh 
day of the week in the most scrupulous manner, 
by applying to it the Bible title of the Sabbath, 
they do, nevertheless, make mention of the day of 
the resurrection in each case, in the same connec- 
tion, in the use of its secular name, " the first day 
of the week/' A slight which is utterly inexpli- 
cable, provided the latter had really put on a sa- 
cred character; since, that being true, it was 
much more important that its new claims should 



36 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

be recognized and inculcated by those who could 
speak with authority, than it was that they 
should perpetuate the distinction of a day whose 
honors had become obsolete. Having now exam- 
ined five of the six texts under consideration, 
there remains but one more to occupy our atten- 
tion. This reads as follows : " Then the same 
day at evening, being the first day of the week, 
when the doors were shut where the disciples 
were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus 
and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, 
Peace be unto you." John 20 : 19. Here, again, 
we are struck with the manifest disposition on 
the part of John, in common with the other 
evangelists, to avoid the application of any sacred 
title to the first day of the week. Twice, in this 
chapter, he makes mention of that which is now 
regarded as the " Queen of days," but in both in- 
stances, he avoids, as if with studied care, attach- 
ing to it any denomination by which its superi- 
ority over other days should be indicated. How 
perfectly in keeping, for instance, it would have 
been with the facts as they are now claimed to 
have existed— as well as with the interests and 
desires of millions who have since lived- — had he 
in the text before us so varied the phraseology of 
the first clause that it would read as follows: 
" And the same day at evening, being the Chris- 
tian Sabbath, when the disciples were assembled," 
&c. This, however, he did not do, and we in- 
quire of the reader, right here, concerning his 
motive in omitting that which now appears to us 
so desirable, and which would have been perfectly 
legitimate were the views of our friends correct. 
Did he intentionally omit an important fact ? 
Was it left out because of an oversight on his 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. Si 

part ? Or, would it be safer to conclude that 
perhaps, after all, the difficulty lies, not with the 
apostle, or with the Holy Spirit, which dictated 
his language, but with the theory, which seems 
to be out of joint with his utterances ? 

Nevertheless, as it is still urged that, in the 
absence of a positive declaration, this, the only 
remaining text, does furnish abundant evidence 
of the sacred regard in which the day of the res- 
urrection was held — since it gives an account of 
a religious meeting held upon it, manifestly for 
the purpose of recognizing its heavenly character 
- — let us examine more critically into the nature of 
the claims which are based upon its record. That 
those with whom we differ should be tenacious 
in their efforts to rest their cause very largely 
upon the account found in John 20 : 19, is not at 
all surprising. It is the only chance, as we have 
seen, which is left them of basing their argument 
upon a passage of Scripture which relates to the 
day of the resurrection. So far as 1 Cor. 16 : 2, 
and Acts 20 : 7, are concerned, it will not be dis- 
puted by any that their testimony is merely col- 
lateral evidence. If Sunday has become the Sab- 
bath, it was by virtue of transactions which oc- 
curred immediately in connection with the rising 
of Christ. In other words, it was on the third 
day after the crucifixion that Christ, if at all, be-, 
gan to impress upon the minds of his disciples 
the Sabbatic character which had already at- 
tached to, and was henceforth to continue in, the 
day which saw him a conqueror over death and 
the grave. 

Nay, more ; if the change occurred at all, it 
must have dated from the very moment that the 
angel descended, the guard was stricken down, 



38 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

and the Son of God, glorified, came forth. This 
being the case, from that time forward it would 
naturally be the effort of Christ to produce in 
the minds of his followers the conviction of this 
most momentous fact. Every action of his 
would necessarily be — if not directly for the pur- 
pose of* imprinting the peculiar sacredness of the 
hours upon those by whom he was surrounded — 
at least of a character such as to impart no sanc- 
tion either to a deliberate, or even an uninten- 
tional disregard, on the part of any, of their hal- 
lowed nature. Hence, our friends, seizing upon 
the fact that he met with them while assembled 
together in the after part of the day, have en- 
deavored to clothe the incident with great inter- 
est, and have largely elaborated their arguments 
to show that this was not an accidental occur- 
rence, but rather partook of the nature of a re- 
ligious meeting, Christ himself honoring these 
instinctive efforts on the part of the disciples to 
act in harmony with the spirit of the hour, by 
his own personal presence. 

Before we sanction this view of the subject, 
however, let us give our attention for a moment 
to the manner in which the previous portion of 
the day, then closing, had up to that point been 
spent. Certain it is, that Jesus had not, during 
its declining hours, been suddenly moved by a 
newly created impulse for the accomplishment of 
an object which had been just as desirable for 
twelve hours as it was at that moment. Sunday 
sanctity had already become a fixed fact, and its 
knowledge as essential to the well-being of the 
disciples in the morning, as at the evening. We 
naturally conclude, therefore, that the very first 
opportunity for its disclosure would have been 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 39 

the one which Christ would embrace. This 
was afforded in his conversation with Mary. 
But, while there is no evidence that it was im- 
parted, it is at least presumable that she was left 
entirely ignorant of it. 

The second occasion was presented in that of 
the journey of the two disciples from Jerusalem 
to Emmaus, a distance of seven and a half miles. 
Jesus walked with them and talked with them 
by the way, reasoned with them about the resur- 
rection, made as though he would have gone far- 
ther, discovered himself to them in the breaking 
of bread, and disappeared, leaving them to re- 
trace the seven and a half miles to the city, with 
no word of caution against it on his part. Nay, 
more ; his marked approval of the propriety of 
the act might properly have been inferred from 
the fact that he himself accompanied them in the 
first instance, in the garb of a wayfaring man ; 
at the same time acting the part of one who was 
so far convinced of the rectitude of his own and 
of their action, that he was ready to continue his 
journey until night should render it impractica- 
ble. (Luke 24 : 28.) Following these men now, 
as they retrace their steps to the city from which 
they had departed, and to which they were now 
returning — manifestly all unconscious that they 
were trespassing upon time which had been res- 
cued from that which might properly be devoted 
to secular pursuits — let us observe them, as they 
mingle once more with their former companions 
in grief. How does it happen that they are con- 
gregated at this precise point of time ? Is it be- 
cause they have at last discovered the fact that 
it has been made in the special sense a proper 
day for religious assemblies ? If so, whence have 



40 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

they derived their conviction ? Certainly not 
from Mary, or the two disciples just returning 
from Emmaus. Assuredly, also/ not from Christ 
himself. 

But, again, is it not really from an induction 
on their own part, by which they have themselves 
discovered the fitness of making the day of resur- 
rection also that of worship ? Listen a moment. 
Hear their excited remarks as, at this juncture, 
they are joined by the two. Do you catch these 
words, " The Lord is risen indeed, and hath ap- 
peared to Simon " ? (Luke 24 : 34.) Does not 
this establish the fact of their confidence in the 
previous report? Unfortunately, the historian 
adds, " Neither believed they them." Here they 
are, then, manifestly still doubting the very fact 
which some have thought they were convened to 
celebrate. 

But, again, what is the place of their convoca- 
tion ? Unquestionably, neither the temple nor the 
synagogue. The record states that where they 
were assembled, " the doors were closed for fear 
of the Jews." Evidently, they were in some 
place of retirement and comparative safety, hid- 
ing away from the fury of a people who, in their 
madness and cruel hate, had crucified even the 
Lord of glory. We ask again, Where were they ? 
Let Mark explain. Certainly he is competent to 
the task. When describing the very transaction 
we are considering, he says : "Afterward he ap- 
peared to the eleven as they sat at meat, and up- 
braided them with their unbelief and hardness of 
heart, because they believed not them .which had 
seen him after he was risen." Mark 16:14. 
Here, then, is the clue to the whole matter. It 
was not a religious meeting, because they were 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 41 

in a frame of mind to be censured, rather than 
applauded, because of unbelief. It was merely 
the body of the apostles, gathered in their own 
quarters for the purpose of partaking of an even- 
ing meal, where they were in the habit of eating, 
and drinking, and sleeping — and where, at this 
time, they kept particularly close, because of the 
perils which surrounded them on every hand. 
That this is true is further sustained by two ad- 
ditional considerations. 

First; it was a place where, Christ expected to 
find meat, and where he requested such for his 
own use, and was supplied from their bounty- 
with broiled fish and an honeycomb, which, the 
record states, " he took and did eat before them." 
(Luke 24 : 41-43.) 

Secondly ; that they were in possession of just 
such a rendezvous, is clearly stated in John 20 : 
10, where, speaking of Peter and John when go- 
ing from the sepulcher, it says, " They went away 
unto their own home/' A few days later, Luke 
declares (Acts 1 : 13,) that when they came in 
from the ascension, they " went up into an upper 
room, where abode both Peter, and James, and 
John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas ; Bar- 
tholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Al- 
pheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother 
of James." 

Thus, by a natural and easy combination of 
the facts brought to view by the inspired pen- 
man, the whole matter has been reduced to a 
simple transaction, such as might have been re- 
peated many times during the forty days, and 
such as — in and of itself — fails to disclose any 
evidence that the occurrences narrated, either 
necessarily or presumptively, afford the slightest 



42 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

justification for the supposition that Christ him- 
self either designed, or that the apostles might 
legitimately conclude that he intended, by join- 
ing them under these familiar circumstances, to 
authorize one of the mightiest innovations upon 
the practice of ages which the world has ever 
seen. 



ARTICLE V, 



Nor is this matter at all relieved by the state- 
ment found in John 20 : 26, that after eight days, 
Thomas being present, he appeared unto them a 
second time under similar circumstances. For 
even should we grant that this was on the next 
Sunday evening — a matter in which there is, at 
least, room for a difference of opinion — the subject 
is merely complicated the more, so far as the view 
of our friends is concerned, since here a second 
opportunity, and that a most excellent one, for 
calling the attention of the disciples to the new 
character which a once secular day had assumed, 
was entirely neglected. In this also, as in the 
first instance, the conversation was of a nature to 
show that the object of the interview was to give 
additional evidence (because of the presence of 
Thomas) of the re-animation of the body of Christ, 
without any reference to its effect upon the char- 
acter of the day upon which it occurred. But 
such silence, under such circumstances, in regard 
to so important a matter, is in itself conclusive 
evidence that the change claimed had not really 
taken place. Furthermore, it will not be urged 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH, 43 

that more than two out of the five first-days 
which occurred between the resurrection and the 
ascension were days of assembly. Had they 
been — as it had been decided, according to the 
view of those urging the transition, that the 
Sunday should not be hallowed by positive dec- 
laration, but simply inaugurated by quiet prece- 
dent, then the presumption is, that this prece- 
dent, instead of being left upon the insufficient 
support of two Sabbaths out of five, would have 
been carefully placed upon the whole number. 
Nor would the precaution have ended here. In 
a matter vital in its nature, certain it is that the 
honest seeker after truth would not be left to 
grope his way through a metaphysical labyrinth 
of philosophic speculation in regard to the effect 
of certain transactions upon the character of the 
time upon which they occurred ; or the bearing 
of certain meetings of Christ and the apostles 
upon the question as to whether Sunday had as- 
sumed a sacred character, when at the same time 
his perplexity was rendered insupportable by the 
fact, that the historian states, that like meetings 
occurred on days for which no one will claim any 
particular honor. 

Take, for instance, the meeting of Jesus with 
the apostles at the sea of Galilee (John 21), while 
they were engaged in a fishing excursion. As- 
suredly, this did not take place on Sunday ; else, 
according to the view of our friends, they would 
not have been engaged in such an employment. 
Just what day it was no one is able to decide ; 
but all agree that its character was in no way af- 
fected by the profoundly interesting interview 
which occurred upon it between the Master and 
his disciples. If it were, then there is at least 



44 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

one holy day in the week which we cannot place 
in the calendar, since no one can decide whether 
it was the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or 
sixth. 

If, however, yon would have a still more forci- 
ble illustration of the fact that religious meetings, 
were they never so solemn, can in nowise alter 
the nature of the hours on which they occur, let 
me call your attention to the day of the ascen- 
sion (Acts 1). Here is an occasion of transcendent 
glory. If the statements in the sacred narrative 
of events, which transpired during its hours, could 
only be predicated of either one or the other of 
the first-day meetings of Christ with his disci- 
ples, it would at least be with an increased show 
of reason that they could be woven into the tis- 
sue of a Sabbatic argument. Here are found 
many of the elements essential to the idea of re- 
ligious services, of which the instances in ques- 
tion are so remarkably destitute. 

In the first place, those who followed our Lord 
to the place of meeting were intelligent believers 
in the fact of his resurrection. 

In the second place, the assembly was not con- 
fined to a mere handful of individuals, seeking for 
retiracy within an upper room where they were 
in the habit of eating, drinking, and sleeping; 
but it transpired in the open air, where Jesus 
was in the habit of meeting with his followers. 

In the third place, the congregation was made 
up of persons whom the Holy Spirit had thus 
brought together for the purpose of becoming the 
honored witnesses of the resurrection and ascen- 
sion of Christ. 

In the fourth place, it was graced by the visi- 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 45 

ble forms of holy angels in glistering white, who 
participated in the services. 

In the fifth place, Jesus himself addressed them 
at length, lifted up his hands to heaven, and 
brought down its benediction upon them, and in 
the sight of the assembled multitude, steadily 
and majestically rising above them, he floated 
upward until a cloud received him out of their 
sight. 

In the sixth place, it is said, in so many words, 
that the "people 'worshiped him there." 

Now, suppose, for the sake of the argument, 
that some modern sect should endeavor to trans- 
form our unpretending Thursday, which was re- 
ally the day of the ascension, since it was the 
fortieth after the resurrection, into one of peculiar 
dignity, claiming in defense of their position, the 
example of Christ, and urging that the course 
which he pursued could only be satisfactorily ex- 
plained on the ground that he was laying the 
foundation for its future Sabbatic observance, 
how would our friends meet them in such an 
emergency ? Deny the facts, they could not, for 
the record is ample. There would, therefore, be 
but one alternative left. 

If transactions of this character are of a nature 
such that they necessarily exalt the days upon 
which they occur to the rank of holy days, then 
Thursday is one and should be treated as such. 
No line of argument, however ingenious, could 
evade this conclusion, so long as the premises in 
question were adhered to. Planting himself 
squarely upon them, with the consent of modern 
Christendom, the advocate of the newly discov- 
ered holy day, finding the record perfectly free 
from embarrassments in the nature of transac- 



46 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

tions which would appear to be incompatible 
with the notion that everything which Christ 
and his apostles did was in harmony with his 
view, if possessed of that skill and ability which 
has marked the efforts of some modern theolo- 
gians in such discussions, could weave a web of 
inference and conjecture almost interminable in 
its length. 

All the facts connected with the meeting could 
be expanded, and turned over and over, and ex- 
hibited from innumerable stand-points, so as to 
yield the largest amount of evidence possible. 
Having dwelt at large upon everything which 
was said and done at Bethany, he might return 
with the solemn procession to the great city. 
Having done this, he would not fail to call our 
attention to the fact that they did not conduct 
themselves in a manner such as men might have 
been expected to do under the circumstances on 
a common day, but that, on the contrary, im- 
pressed with the sacredness of the hours which 
had witnessed the glorious ascension of the Son 
of God, they immediately repaired to a place of 
assembly, manifestly for the purpose of continued 
worship. Again, scrutinizing with polemic eye 
every syllable of the history, in order to extract 
from it all the hidden testimony which it might 
contain, his attention would be arrested by these 
words, "A Sabbath day's journey." Immediately 
he inquires, Why employ such an expression as 
this — one which occurs nowhere else in the sacred 
volume ? Certainly it cannot be the result of 
accident. The Holy Spirit must have designed 
to signify something by such a use of the term 
in the connection under consideration. A Sab- 
bath day's journey ! What importance could be 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 4 i 

attached to the fact that the particular point from 
which Christ ascended was no more than a Sab- 
bath day's journey from Jerusalem ? The ex- 
pression is not sufficiently definite to designate 
the precise spot, and must, therefore, have been 
employed to express some other idea, What was 
it ? Undeniably, it was introduced into this con- 
nection because of the nature of the time on 
which the journey occurred. It was a Sabbath 
day, and, as such, it was important that succeed- 
ing generations should not be left to infer from 
the account given, that it was a matter of indif- 
ference to the Lord how far travel should be car- 
ried on such an occasion ; but, on the contrary, 
that he was jealous on this point, and that the 
expression in question was employed to show 
that the procession of Christ's followers, and Christ, 
himself, bowed reverently to the national regula- 
tion respecting the distance to which it was 
proper for one to depart from his home during 
the continuance of holy time, 

But this line of argument, though plausible in 
itself, and superior in fact to that which is many 
times used to support the tottering fabric of first- 
day observance, would not, we fancy, persuade an 
intelligent public to introduce a new Sabbath into 
their calendar. The verdict which even those 
with whom we differ would be compelled to ren- 
der would be that which both reason and piety 
would dictate ; namely, that the fatal defect in 
the logic was the want of a thus saith the Lord. 

Passing now from the first six of the eight 
texts which relate to the first day of the week, 
let us give to 1 Cor. 16:2, and Acts 20 : 7, a con- 
sideration of sufficient length only to enable us 
to assign to them the proper place which they 



48 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

should occupy in this controversy. While it will 
be observed that they present the only mention 
of the first day of the week after leaving the gos- 
pels, and while it is remembered that they are 
separated from the occurrences there narrated by 
the space of twenty-six years, it is a remarkable 
fact that the first of them, if not in itself clearly 
against the conception of Sunday sanctity, at least, 
affords no strength for the argument in its favor. 
It reads as follows : " Upon the first day of the 
w^eek let every one of you lay by him in store, as 
God hath prospered him, that there be no gath- 
erings when I come." 1 Cor. 16:2. 

Now, bear in mind that the inference here is, 
that the gatherings spoken of were to be made 
in the assemblies of the Corinthians, the pre- 
sumption following that, as they must have been 
in the habit of convening on the first day of the 
week, the apostle took advantage of this fact in 
order to secure the desired collections for the 
saints at Jerusalem. You will observe, conse- 
quently, that the postulate, or assumed point in 
the discussion, is that the Corinthians were at the 
church, or place of meeting, when the " laying 
by/' which was ordered above, took place. If, 
therefore, this be not true, the whole logical su- 
perstructure which rests upon it necessarily falls 
to the ground. 

Let us inquire after the facts. Does the apos- 
tle say, Let every one of you lay by himself at 
the church ? or, does he command that his pro- 
rata donation should be placed in the contribu- 
tion box of the assembly ? We answ er : There 
is not a word to this effect. Nor is this all ; the 
very idea of the text is diametrically opposed to 
this notion. Before the contrary can be shown 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 49 

to be true, it will be necessary to demonstrate 
that which is absurd in itself; namely, the prop- 
osition that what an individual has voluntarily 
placed beyond his own reach and control by put- 
ting it in a common fund, can, at the same time, 
be said to be " laid by him in store." 

Furthermore, Mr. J. W. Morton, a gentleman 
who has given the subject mature reflection and 
careful investigation, by a comparison of the dif- 
ferent versions and the original, has demonstrated 
the fact that, if properly translated, the idea of 
the passage is simply that, for the purpose of 
uniformity of action, and to prevent confusion 
from secular matters when the apostle himself 
should arrive, each person should lay by himself 
at home the amount of his charities according to 
his ability. We give the following from his pen : 
" The whole question turns upon the meaning of 
the expression, • by him ;' and I marvel greatly 
how you can imagine that it means, ' in the col- 
lection box of the congregation/ Greenfield, in 
his lexicon, translates the Greek term, f by one's 
self; i. e., at home/ Two Latin versions — the 
Vulgate, and that of Castellio — render it, ' apud 
se, y with one's self, at home. Three French trans- 
lations, those of Martin, Osterwald, and De Sacy, 
' chez soi,' at his own house, at home. The Ger- 
man of Luther, ' bei sich selbst' by himself, at 
home. The Dutch, ' by lieraselven,' same as Ger- 
man. The Italian of Diodati, ' appressio di se,' 
in his own presence, at home. The Spanish of 
Felipe Scio, l en sw casa,' in his own house. The 
Portuguese of Ferrara, ' para isso,' with himself. 
The Swedish, c ncer sig sielf,' near himself. I 
know not how much this list of authorities might 

Con. Am. 4 T 



50 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

be swelled, for I have not examined one transla- 
tion that differs from those quoted above." — Vin- 
dication of the True Sabbath, p. 61. 

The simple fact is, therefore, that while the text 
in question yields no proof that Sunday was then 
regarded as a day of convocation, it was one which 
might be encumbered with matters which would 
necessarily call attention to the pecuniary affairs 
of individual Christians, and so avoid the neces- 
sity of their giving thought to such things when 
Paul himself should arrive ; thereby preventing 
delay on his part, and leaving them free to de- 
vote their whole time to the consideration of re- 
ligious themes. Thus much for 1 Cor. 16:2. 



ARTICLE VI. 



Advancing now to the remaining scripture, 
which is found in Acts 20 : 7, we append its words 
as follows : " And upon the first day of the week, 
when the disciples came together to break bread, 
Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the 
morrow; and continued his speech until mid- 
night." By reading that which immediately fol- 
lows the above, we shall learn the following facts : 
First, that here is indeed a record of a religious 
meeting upon the first day of the week (verse 7). 
Second, that it was held in that portion of the 
day when the darkness prevailed, since it was 
necessary to employ many lights (verse 8). Third, 
that Paul preached unto them, and that, while 
he was speaking, Eutychus fell to the ground ; 
and Paul, having restored him to life, returned to 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 51 

his labor (verses 7-11). Fourth, that he broke 
bread, or administered the Lord's supper (verse 
11). Fifth, that he preached until break of day 
(verse 11). Sixth, that Luke, and the other dis- 
ciples, preceding him, sailed the vessel to Assos 
(verse 13). Seventh, that Paul, having preached 
all night until the dawning of the day, crossed 
the country on foot, stepped aboard of the vessel, 
and went on his journey toward Jerusalem (verses 
13, 14). Now let it be borne in mind, that Troas 
was a city on the west coast of Asia, located at 
the base of a peninsula, on the opposite side of 
which lay the city of Assos ; distant about nine- 
teen and a half miles in direct line from the 
former place. Let it also be remembered that 
the promontory in question, projecting as it did 
into the sea for some miles, made it necessary for 
a vessel, passing from Troas to Assos, to traverse 
a much greater distance, and to consume more 
time than one would be compelled to do in pass- 
ing from one of these points to the other by the 
overland route. This explains the reason why 
Paul, who was exceedingly anxious to spend all 
the time he could with the brethren, consented to 
perform the journey on foot ; thus being enabled 
to spend several additional hours with them, 
while Luke and his associates were toiling to 
bring the boat around the headland to the place 
of the apostle's final embarkation. 

Eeturning now to the consideration of the 
meeting in question, it becomes important to know 
just when it was entered upon. Did it answer 
to what we would call a Sunday-evening meet- 
ing? If so, then Paul resumed his journey on 
Monday morning. But, before we give an af- 
firmative response to this question, would it not 



be well to inquire in relation to the system for 
computing time which ought to be followed in 
this case ? We moderns have generally adopted 
that of the Romans. With it, beginning the day, 
as it does, at midnight, we would naturally an- 
swer the interrogatory above in the affirmative. 
Should we do this, however, we should unques- 
tionably fall into a grievous, error. The days of 
the Bible commenced invariably with the setting 
of the sun. 

That this is so, the following quotation from 
the American Tract Society's Bible Dictionary is 
sufficient to demonstrate : u The civil day is that, 
the beginning and end of which are determined 
by the custom of any nation. The Hebrews be- 
gan their day in the evening (Lev. 23 : 32) ; the 
Babylonians at sunrise, and we begin at mid- 
night." Art. Day, p. 114. 

Reasoning, therefore, upon this hypothesis, the 
bearing of the text is immediately reversed. As 
the meeting was held in that portion of the first 
day of the week in which it was necessary that 
lamps should be lighted, it follows that it com- 
menced with the setting of the sun on Saturday 
evening, and continued until daylight on what 
we call Sunday morning. It is consequently 
clear that we have at last found one first day in 
the Scriptures, the first half of which was ob- 
served in a manner compatible with the idea of 
its being regarded as a Sabbath. But, as a Sab- 
bath day is twenty-four, and not merely twelve 
hours, long, it is indispensable that those who 
seek to avail themselves of the record before us, 
should be able to establish the point that there is 
nothing in it which would go to show that the re- 
maining portion of the day was devoted to pur- 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 53 

poses, and employed in a manner irreconcilable 
with the hypothesis of its sanctity. Can they do 
this ? Let us see. Would it be legitimate for be- 
lievers at the present time to traverse on foot a 
distance of nineteen and a half miles between 
the rising and the setting of the sun, on the first 
day of the week, in order to pursue a journey to- 
ward a point of destination hundreds of miles in 
the distance ? Would it be admissible for others, 
prosecuting the same journey, to weigh anchor 
and hoist sail in a friendly port, and coast along 
the shore for a much greater distance ? 

Who, among the friends of Sunday observance 
at the present time, would venture to answer 
these questions in the affirmative, without put- 
ting on the record some qualifying or explana- 
tory clause ? We hazard the assertion that few of 
them, conscientious as we believe many of them 
are, would be willing, by such a response, to place 
themselves on the category of those who, to say 
the least, may have very lax views in regard to 
what may be done upon holy time. And yet 
this is precisely the situation in which Luke has 
left Paul, himself, and his associates, before the 
generations of Christians who were to follow 
them. 

We ask, therefore, again, Can it be true that 
the great apostle to the Gentiles, standing as a 
representative man in the great work of trans- 
ferring the religious world from the observance 
of the seventh, to that of the first, day of the 
week, and this not by positive precept, but, as it 
is claimed, simply by precedent and example, 
should have allowed himself to throw that exam- 
ple, as in the case before us, against the very work 
which he was seeking to accomplish ? In other 



54 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

words, is not the obvious import of the text such 
that the average reader, with no favorite theory 
to make out, and a mind unbiased by the effect 
of education and early training, would naturally 
come to the conclusion that Paul and the disci- 
ples with him, and those from whom he parted 
at Troas, looked upon the day of that departure 
as but a common one ? 

We believe that if any other meaning can be 
drawn from the history before us, it will be 
reached through constraint, and not through the 
easy process of obvious reason. It is useless to 
talk about inability to control the vessel, and the 
urgent necessity of occupying every hour in or- 
der to reach Jerusalem in time for the feast. So 
far as the first of these points is concerned, if it 
were well taken, is it not to be presumed that, 
for the vindication of the course pursued, and for 
the benefit of posterity, it would have found a 
place in the sacred record ? And as to the mat- 
ter of limited time, the question of twelve hours 
longer or shorter, was immaterial in a journey of 
the length of the one under consideration. Be- 
sides, upon following the account as given, we 
we have from Luke himself that, before they 
reached their destination, they stopped at Tyre 
for seven days (chap. 21 : 4), and at Cesarea, many 
days (chap. 21 : 10), and yet had ample time to 
accomplish their object in reaching Jerusalem be- 
fore the feast. 

We say again, therefore, that these considera- 
tions, in the absence of any allusions to them in 
the context, are simply gratuitous, or, at least, 
are far-fetched. The narrative still remains. 
The great fact that Paul and his followers did 
travel upon the first day of the week is made 



SyNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 55 

conspicuous, and the only legitimate conclusion 
to be drawn therefrom is that which alone har- 
monizes with the consistency of Paul's life and 
that of his brethren, as well as the wisdom and 
beneficence of the great God, namely : That he 
did so because of his conviction that it was a day 
which might properly be devoted to labor and 
travel. With this understanding, the story is 
relieved of all embarrassment, and becomes a 
simple and highly interesting account of a meet- 
ing convened on the first day of the week, because 
of the approaching departure of a beloved brother 
and apostle, and rendered also worthy of record 
by the miracle which was performed upon Euty- 
chus. But with such a decision, our labor is 
ended, and wdth it the whole theory in regard to 
the Sabbatic character of Sunday is exploded; 
for, not only does the scripture which we have 
been investigating fail to yield the doctrine 
which it was supposed to contain, but, on the 
contrary, it presents Paul as standing emphatic- 
ally against it. This being true, it belongs to a 
faith which he never proclaimed, and which, 
consequently, was associated in his mind with 
that which should not be received, though it were 
" preached by an angel from Heaven." 

Nevertheless, that we may not appear to have 
overlooked the two remaining texts, which are 
generally quoted as affording additional proof of 
the distinguished regard in which the first day 
of the week was held, we turn our attention for 
a moment to Acts 2 : 1, and Rev. 1 : 10. 

As it regards the first of these scriptures, the 
claim is, that the outpouring of the Spirit oc- 
curred with reference to a divine disposition to 
honor the day of the resurrection. To this we 



56 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

reply, first, that if this were so, it is a remarkable 
fact that there is nothing in the connection to 
show it. The name of the day, even, is not so 
much as mentioned. The inspired annalist, were 
this supposition true, would most assuredly have 
given prominence to an idea which, it is claimed, 
was the governing one in the mind of the Spirit, 
in order to enable succeeding generations to 
extract from the facts narrated the true moral 
which they were intended to convey. But mark 
his words. Is the declaration, " When the first 
day of the week was fully come"? If so, we 
might say that this day was foremost in his own 
mind, and in that of the Spirit. 

But such was not his language. On the con- 
trary, his statement is, " When the day of Pente- 
cost was fully come." Hence, it was the day of 
Pentecost, or the great Jewish feast, which is 
here made to stand out conspicuously upon the 
sacred page. If, therefore, we are to decide that 
the transaction in question was intended to hal- 
low any particular twenty-four hours, undenia- 
bly they were those within which the Pentecost 
fell. But those did not occur regularly upon the 
first day of the week, nor was the institution one 
of weekly recurrence. It was annual in its re- 
turn, transpiring one year upon the first, and 
perhaps the next year upon the second, and 
so on, through every, day of the week. To 
reason, consequently, that, because it happened 
to take place at this time upon Sunday, the fact 
is necessarily significant of a change in the char- 
acter of the day, is altogether inconclusive. 

That were a cheap logic indeed, which would 
argue that the Pentecost, which was mentioned 
expressly, and the return of which was waited 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. Di 

for with patience, was in no-wise affected, illus- 
trated, or perpetuated, by the outpouring of the 
Spirit upon it, whereas, a septenary division of 
time — not thought worthy of mention by its 
peculiar title — was thenceforth rendered glori- 
ous. Stand together, however, they cannot ; for, 
if it were the Pentecost which was to be handed 
down in this way to those who should come 
after, then it would, of necessity, be celebrated 
annually, and not each week ; but, if it were the 
first day of the week which alone was made the 
object of divine favor, then why wait until the 
arrival of the great annual Sabbath at the end of 
the fifty days ? Why was not some other first 
day taken — say one of the six which had already 
occurred between the resurrection and that time 
— in this manner avoiding the possibility of con- 
fusion as to wriich event was thus honored ? 

Should it be replied that the Spirit could not 
be poured out until the great antitype of the 
fifty-day feast had been met in Heaven, we an- 
swer : Then it was this event, and not the res- 
urrection, which furnishes the occasion for the 
remarkable demonstrations which were mani- 
fested before the people. We repeat again, 
therefore, that from whatever stand-point we 
look at the text, it is the Pentecost, and not the 
first day of the week, to which, if to anything, it 
attaches special importance. This is further 
demonstrated by the fact that it is to this hour 
a matter of grave discussion between theologians 
whether the day of Pentecost, at the time under 
consideration, did really fall upon the first day 
of the week or upon some other. Leaving to 
them, therefore, the delicate and arduous task of 
adjusting questions of this nature — which are 



58 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

neither important in themselves, nor easy of de- 
cision — we hasten to glance at Rev. 1 : 10. It 
reads as follows : " I was in the Spirit on the 
Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, 
as of a trumpet." 

Here is something which certainly has a bear- 
ing upon the subject. The language employed is 
of thrilling interest. Says the apostle, " I was in 
the Spirit on the Lord's day." This being ut- 
tered about A. D. 95, determines the point that 
God has a day in this dispensation, and also 
proves that he has but one ; since the language 
would be very indefinite were there two or more 
days of such a nature. But by what system of 
reasoning is the conclusion reached that this must 
of necessity be the first day of the week ? As- 
suredly, it can only be by inference. If it can 
first be proved that the day of tfte resurrection 
has, by divine authority, been anywhere styled 
the " Lord's day," then the point is unquestiona- 
bly gained. When those words were penned, 
more than sixty years had passed since it is 
claimed that Sunday had been clothed with di- 
vine honor. The whole canon of the New Test- 
ament, save the gospel of John, had been written 
within that time. Ample opportunity had been 
afforded for the work of placing upon record the 
sacred appellation which was to be given to that 
period of time, which, having been separated 
from everything of a secular nature, had been 
elevated to the dignity of a holy rest. But had 
this ever occurred ? The facts are briefly these : 
The first day of the week, as we have seen, being 
mentioned eight times in the New Testament, is 
always spoken of as plain first day of the week ; 
John himself, writing his gospel after the ap- 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 59 

pearance of the Apocalypse, everywhere applies 
to it this unpretending title. Whenever the 
term Sabbath is used, on the other hand — as we 
have seen that it is fifty-six times in the New 
Testament — it is applied, with one exception, to 
the Sabbath of the commandment, or the seventh 
day of the week. 

In view of these facts, take a common man, 
without bias or predilection, one, if you please, 
who has never heard of the controversy in ques- 
tion, place in his hands the Bible without note 
or comment, let him read the following texts 
which confessedly refer to the seventh day of the 
week, and we think the verdict which he would 
render would be decidedly in favor of the vener- 
able Sabbath of the Lord ; of which it is true, as 
it is of no other day, that he has again and again 
claimed it as his own. The italics are our own. 
" If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, 
from doing thy pleasure on my holy day ; and 
call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, 
honorable ; and shalt honor him, not doing 
thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, 
nor speaking thine own words ; then shalt thou 
delight thyself in the Lord." Isa. 58 : 13, 14. 

"But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the 
Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work:" 
u for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 
the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the 
seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab- 
bath day, and halloived, it." Ex. 20 : 10, 11. 

" And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made 
for man, and not man for the Sabbath ; therefore 
the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." 
Mark 2 : 27, 28. 

If such a decision be a just one, however, where 



GO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

are we in the matter under examination ? What 
has become of the modern Sabbath reform for 
which we have been seeking justification in the 
word of God ? First, we sought to place it upon 
the commandment ; this, we found to be out of 
the question. Second, we investigated the claim 
of an amended law ; that, we discovered to be en- 
tirely without authority, and against even the 
conviction and practice of the very men who 
urged it. Third, we turn, as a last resort, to the 
precedents of Bible history ; these, r we found, so 
far as they affect the question at all, to be over- 
whelmingly against a movement, which, while it 
claims to be in the interest of the God of Heaven, 
is confronted by the following astounding facts. 
First, the day whose observance it seeks to en- 
force by statute law is one, the keeping of which, 
God has never commanded. Second, Christ has 
never commanded it. Third, no inspired man 
has ever commanded it. Fourth, God himself 
never rested upon it. Fifth, Christ never rested 
upon it. Sixth, there is no record that either 
prophets or apostles ever rested upon it. Sev- 
enth, it is one upon which Gocl himself worked. 
Eighth, it is one which, during his lifetime, Christ 
always treated as a day of labor. Ninth, it is 
one upon which, after his resurrection, he coun- 
tenanced, by his own personal example, travel 
upon the highway. Tenth, it is one upon which 
the two disciples, in going to and returning from 
Emmaus, traveled a distance of fifteen miles. 
Eleventh, it was on that clay that Paul walked 
from Troas to Assos, a distance of nineteen and 
one-half miles. Twelfth, it was on that day that 
Luke and his associates passed from one to the 
other of these places by a longer route, working 
their vessel round the promontory. 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 61 

That all these things could be true, and yet 
our friends be right in the supposition that they 
are engaged in a work which commands the ap- 
proval of Heaven, is too absurd to require fur- 
ther discussion. A movement pushed forward in 
the face of these facts may succeed, so far as po- 
litical success and legal enactment are concerned, 
but when the logic for its Scriptural character is 
scrutinized as closely as it will be before it shall 
plant its banners upon the capitol of the nation, 
all conscientious convictions in regard to its heav- 
enly birth will give place to an inspiration, the 
source of whose strength will be found in the su- 
periority of party drill, and the overwhelming 
power of mere numbers. Who shall say that the 
God of Heaven has not permitted it to come to 
the surface for the very purpose of calling the at- 
tention of honest men and women, as it only 
could be done by the debate which will arise in 
controversy, to the scantiness of that Sunday 
wardrobe by which, as with it our friends at- 
tempt to clothe a favorite institution, we are so 
forcibly reminded of the bed and covering spoken 
of by the prophet Isaiah : The first of which was 
" too short to stretch one's self upon/' and the last, 
" too narrow to wrap one's self within ?" So sure 
as investigation is provoked upon this subject, so 
certain is it that, sooner or later, thinking men 
and women will discover — as we have already 
done in this article — that there is indeed a crying 
demand for a Sabbath reform. Not one, however, 
which rests merely upon the power of Congres- 
sional enactment, and Presidential sanction, but 
one which shall find its authority in the highest 
of all laws, and which shall have the approval of 
the Kinor of kings and Lord of lords. 



62 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 



ARTICLE VII. 



The conflict is finally open. The spirit of in- 
quiry has lifted itself in the nation ; and all eye3 
will be turned toward the Bible, as really the 
only source from which can be derived authority 
for a Sabbath reform which shall be worthy of 
the name. 

Commencing with its opening pages, they will 
trace the Sabbatic narrative until they have been 
able to verify the following summary of history 
and doctrine : — 

1. The Sabbath, as the last day of the week, 
originated in Eden, and was given to Adam, as 
the federal head of the race, while he yet retained 
his primal innocence. Proof: " And on the sev- 
enth day God ended his work which he had 
made ; and he rested on the seventh day from 
all his work which he had made. And God 
blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it ; because 
that in it he had rested from all his work which 
God created and made/' Gen. 2 : 2, 3. 

2. That, though the history of the period, 
stretching -from the creation to the exodus, is 
extremely brief, it is manifest, even from that 
period, that the good of those ages had not lost 
sight of it ; since the children of Israel were ac- 
acquainted with its existence thirty days before 
reaching Mount Sinai. "And He said unto 
them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To- 
morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the 
Lord ; bake that which ye will bake to-day, and 
seethe that ye will seethe ; and that which re- 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 63 

maineth over lay up for you to be kept until the 
morning." Ex. 16:23. "Six days ye shall 
gather it ; but on the seventh day, which is the 
Sabbath, in it there shall be none." Ex. 16 : 26. 

3. That God, unwilling to commit the interest 
of so important an institution to the keeping of 
tradition, framed a command for its perpetuity, 
which he spoke with his own voice and wrote 
with his own ringer, placing it in the bosom of 
the great moral law of the ten precepts: "Re- 
member the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six 
days shalt thou labor and do ail thy work ; but 
the seventh d&y is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
God : in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor 
thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor 
thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger 
that is within thy gates : for in six days the Lord 
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in 
them is, and rested the seventh day ; wherefore 
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed 
it." Ex. 20:8-11. 

4. That this law has been brought over into 
our dispensation, and every jot and tittle of it is 
binding now, and will continue to be, so long as 
the world stands. " Think not that I am come 
to destroy the law or the prophets ; I am not 
come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say 
unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or 
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till 
all be fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore, shall break 
one of these least commandments, and shall teach 
men so, he shall be called the least in the king- 
dom of Heaven : but whosoever shall do and 
teach them, the same shall be called great in the 
kingdom of Heaven." — Jesus, Matt. 5 : 17-19. 
? Do we then make void the law through faith ? 



64 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

God forbid ; yea, we establish the lav/."— Paul, 
Romans 3 : 31. " Wherefore the law is holy, and 
the commandment holy, and just, and good." 
Romans 7:12. "If ye fulfill the royal law ac- 
cording to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor as thyself, ye do well ; but if ye have 
respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are con- 
vinced of the law as transgressors. For whoso- 
ever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in 
one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, 
Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. 
Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, 
thou art become a transgressor of the law." — 
James, Jas. 2 : 8-11. "Whosoever committeth 
sin transgresseth also the law ; for sin is the 
transgression of the law. And ye know that he 
was manifested to take away our sins ; and in 
him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sin- 
neth not ; whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, 
neither known him."— John, 1 John 3 : 4-6. 

5. That, agreeably to this view, Christ — of 
whom it is said, " Thy law is within my heart " 
— was a habitual observer, during his lifetime, of 
the Sabbath of the decalogue. " And he came to 
Nazareth, where he had been brought up ; and, 
as his custom was, he went into the synagogue 
on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read." 
Luke 4:16. "If ye keep my commandments, ye 
shall abide in my love ; even as I have kept my 
Father's commandments, and abide in his love." 
John 15: 10. 

6. That the women, whose religious concep- 
tions had been formed under his teachings, care- 
fully regarded it. "And they returned, and 
prepared spices and ointments; and rested the 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 65 

Sabbath day, according to the commandment." 
Luke 23 : 56. 

7. The Lord instructed his disciples that it 
would exist at least forty years after his death, 
since he taught them to pray continually that 
their flight, at the destruction of Jerusalem, 
which occurred A. D. 70, might not take place on 
that day. " But pray ye that your flight be not 
in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." 
Matt. 24 : 20. 

8. That the great apostle to the Gentiles was 
in the habit of making it a day of public teach- 
ing. " And Paul, as his manner ivas, went in 
unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with 
them out of the Scriptures." Acts 27 : 2. "And 
he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and 
persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." Acts 18 : 4. 

9. That, in the year of our Lord 95, John still 
recognized its existence. "I was in the Spirit- 
on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great 
voice, as of a trumpet." Rev. 1 : 10. 

10. That God has never removed the blessing 
which he placed upon it in the beginning, or 
annulled the sanctification by which it was at 
that time set apart to a holy use. 

11. That, in perfect keeping with the above 
propositions, it is, equally in the New with the 
Old Testament, scores of times denominated the 
Sabbath ; and that, while God, and Christ, and 
prophets, and apostles, and inspired men, unite 
in applying to it this sacred title, they never, in 
any single instance, allow themselves to speak of 
any other clay in the week in the use of this pe- 
culiar appellation. 

Con. Am. 5 T 



66 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

12. That it is not only to continue during tlie 
present order of things, but that, in the new- 
earth, clothed in all the freshness and beauty of 
its Edenic glory, creation, more than ever be- 
fore, will be the subject of devout gratitude, and 
weekly commemoration on the part of the im- 
mortal and sinless beings who shall worship God 
therein forever. " For as the new heavens and 
the new earth, which I will make shall remain 
before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and 
your name remain. And it shall come to pass, 
that from one new moon to another, and from 
one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to 
worship before me, saith the Lord." Isa. 66 : 
22, 23. 

Putting all these facts together — connected, 
consistent, and unanswerable as they are — men 
will discover that a great departure has taken 
place from the original practice of the church, and 
against the explicit command of God. Should 
they ask, as assuredly they will, when, and by 
whom, it was inaugurated, it will not be a fruit- 
less effort on their part to obtain needed inform- 
ation. God has made ample provision for the 
instruction of those who would do his will, and 
for the condemnation of those who refuse so to 
do. Referring to prophecies given centuries ago, 
mapping out beforehand the history of the world, 
they will find the prophet Daniel — while describ- 
ing the work of the "little horn," which arose 
among the ten horns of the great and terrible 
beast, and which little horn nearly all Protestant 
commentators agree in applying to the papal 
church — stating of it, by way of prediction, that 
it should " wear out the saints of the Most High, 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 67 

and think to change times and laws/' and that 
they should " be given into his hand until a time 
and times and the dividing of time." (Dan. 7 : 
25.) Consulting history, they will discover that, 
so far as the saints are concerned, these terrible 
words have been so completely fulfilled that this 
power has actually put to death, in one way or 
other, at least fifty millions of the people of God. 

Again, perceiving, as they will readily, that the 
" laws," which this presumptuous power should 
blasphemously claim to be able to change, are 
the laws of God, what will be their astonishment 
at learning, from the representatives of this great 
oppressive system — which alone has extended 
through a period sufficiently long to cover the 
"time, times and half a time," or the 1260 
years of Daniels prophecy — that it actually 
boasts that it has done the very work in ques- 
tion. Nay, more ; what limit can be put to their 
surprise when they find these men absolutely 
pointing with exultation to the practice of the 
Christian world in the observance of Sunday, as 
an evidence of the ability of the Roman Catholic 
church to alter and amend the commands of God ! 
That they do this, however, in the most unequiv- 
ocal terms, will be abundantly proved by the 
following quotations from their own publica- 
tions : — 

" Question. Is it then Saturday we should 
sanctify, in order to obey the ordinance of God ? 
Arts. During the old law, Saturday was the day 
sanctified; but the church, instructed by Jesus 
Christ, and directed by the Spirit of God, has 
substituted Sunday for Saturday ; so we now 
sanctify the first, not the seventh, day. Sunday 



68 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

means, and now is, the day of the Lord. Ques. 
Had the church power to make such a change ? 
Ans. Certainly ; since the Spirit of God is her 
guide, the change is inspired by the Holy Spirit." 
— Oath. Catechism of Christian Religion. 

" Ques. How prove you that the church has 
power to command feasts and holy days ? Ans. 
By the very act of changing the Sabbath into 
Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and there- 
fore they fondly contradict themselves by keep- 
ing Sunday strictly, and breaking most other 
feasts commanded by the same church. 

" Ques. How prove you that ? Ans. Because, 
by keeping Sunday, they acknowledge the church's 
power to ordain feasts, and to command them un- 
der sin ; and by not keeping the rest by her com- 
manded, they again deny, in fact, the same power." 
— Abridgement of Christian Doctrine. 

" It is worth its while to remember that this 
observance of the Sabbath — in which, after all, 
the only Protestant worship consists — -not only 
has no foundation in the Bible, but it is in fla- 
grant contradiction with its letter, which com- 
mands rest on the Sabbath, which is Saturday. 
It was the Catholic church which, by the author- 
ity of Jesus Christ, has transferred this rest to 
the Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection 
of our Lord. Thus the observance of Sunday by 
the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite 
of themselves, to the authority of the church." — 
Plann Talk about Protestantism of 'To-day, p. 225. 

Instinctively anticipating some providential 
mode of escape from the terrible consequences of 
that great apostasy, out of which the religious 
world has for centuries been endeavoring to work 



SUNDAY AND TflE SABBATH, G9 

its way, conscientious men and women will catch 
the notes of warning which for twenty-five years 
have been sounding through the land, in these 
words : " Here is the patience of the saints : here 
are they that keep the commandments of God, 
and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14 : 12. 

Inquiring into the origin of the message which 
is thus being given to the world, they will find 
that, for a quarter of a century, God has been call- 
ing attention to the subject of his law and his Sab- 
bath, and that a denomination of earnest men and 
women, but little known as yet among the learned 
and mighty of the land, have been devoting them- 
selves with zeal and a spirit of self-sacrifice to 
the tremendous task of restoring God's down- 
trodden Sabbath to the hearts and judgments of 
the people. They will find, also, that these per- 
sons have not entered upon this labor because 
they anticipated an easy and speedy victory ; nor, 
indeed, because they ever believed that the great 
mass of mankind would so far shake oft* the tram- 
mels of tradition and the fear of reproach as to 
be able to venture an unreserved surrender to 
the teachings of the Bible, but simply because 
they saw in it that which was at once the path 
of duty, and that of fulfilling prophecy. 

Having accepted Dan. 7 : 25, in common with 
the religious world, as applying to the papacy, 
and learning, as the result of investigation, that 
the days of the great persecution were to reach 
from the decree of Justinian (a. d. 538,) giving 
authority to the Bishop of Rome to become the 
corrector of heretics, to A. D. 1798 — when the 
pope was carried into captivity, having received 
a wound with the sword agreeably to Rev. 13 : 10 



70 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

— these students of God's word at once perceived 
that the next thing in order would be the com- 
pletion of the restitution, which had begun in the 
taking away of his ability to put the saints to 
death, by a work equally called for in the in- 
spired prediction ; namely, that of rescuing from 
his hands the "times and laws" which he thought 
to change. Or, in other words, that the effort of 
the pope to remove the Sabbath of the Lord from 
the seventh to the first day of the week should 
be made to appear in its true light ; namely, as 
the work of a blasphemous power which had held 
the world in its grasp for centuries. 

But, while they were clear in those convictions 
which led them in 1846, under the title of Sev- 
enth-day Adventists, to claim that they were ful- 
filling the prophecy of Rev. 14 : 9-12, they dis- 
cerned that the same facts which brought them 
to this conclusion also compelled the conviction 
that theirs was to be the road of persecution, 
hardship, and privation. They read in Rev. 12 : 
17, in these words, " The dragon was wroth with 
the woman, and went to make war with the rem- 
nant of her seed, which keep the commandments 
of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ/' 
the history of the last generation of Christians ; 
and saw that, in God's inscrutable providence, it 
was to be their fortune to be the object of dia- 
bolic hate, because of the commandments of God 
and the testimony of Jesus Christ, to which they 
cling with determined perseverance. 

Once more : In studying the 11th to the 18th 
verses inclusive of the 13th chapter of the same 
book, they saw that — if their view of the work 
which was assigned them was correct — that por- 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 71 

tion of the Scriptures was applied to the United 
States of. America,, and indicated that this coun- 
try was to he the theater of a mighty contest 
between those who " keep the commandments of 
God and the faith of Jesus;" and the government 
under which they live, from which they could 
only be delivered by the coming of Christ. This 
view they unhesitatingly proclaimed, For twenty 
years, they have announced it as a part of their 
faith. When they first declared it to be such, 
they brought upon themselves ridicule and con- 
tempt, for, humanly speaking, every probability 
was against them, The government w^as ostensi- 
bly republican in form, and professedly tolerant 
to the very extreme, in all matters of religious 
opinion, The Constitution had even provided 
that "Congress should make no law respecting 
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the 
free exercise thereof." 

Nevertheless, so firm were they in the convic- 
tion that they had the right application of the 
prophecy, that they unhesitatingly walked out 
upon their faith ; and for a fifth of a century 
they have talked it, and published it everywhere, 
notwithstanding the odium it has brought upon 
them. Lest we might appear to be drawing upon 
our own imagination in a matter of such import- 
ance, we append the following extracts from their 
works. The words in parentheses are our own, 
and serve to explain that which a larger quota- 
tion from the context would make clear of itself : 

"When the 'beast' (the papacy) had the do- 
minion, all in authority must be Catholics. The 
popular sentiment then was that none should 
hold offices in the government, except they pro- 



i 2 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

fessed the Catholic faith. The popular religion 
at that period was Catholicism. They legislated 
upon religious subjects, and required all men to 
conform to the popular institutions and dogmas 
of the papacy, or suffer and die. The image 
must be made in the United States, where Prot- 
estantism is the prevailing religion. Image sig- 
nifies likeness ; therefore Protestantism and Re- 
publicanism will unite ; or, in other words, the 
making of laws will go into the hands of Prot- 
estants, when all in authority will profess the 
popular sentiments of the day, and make laws 
binding certain religious institutions (i. e., Sun- 
day observance, &c), upon all, without distinc- 
tion." — Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 
6, No. 6, 1854. 

" It seems to me, even to look at the subject in 
the light of reason, that a conflict must in time 
come between commandment-keepers and the 
United States. This, of course, will lead those 
who find that they cannot sustain their Sunday 
institution by argument to resort to some other 
means." — Advent Revieiv and Herald, Vol. 10, 
No. 11, 1857. 

" When all concur upon this question (Sunday- 
keeping), except a few who conscientiously ob- 
serve the fourth commandment, how long before 
their constancy would be attributed to obstinacy 
and bigotry ? And how long before the sentence 
would go forth, as it did in the days of Pliny, 
' that for this, if for nothing else, they deserved 
to be punished.'" — Revieiv and Herald, Vol. 19, 
No. 15. (a.) 

[a] For further information upon this subject, the reader is re- 
ferred to "The Three Angels' Messages " and the "United States 



SUNDAY AXD THE SABBATH. 73 

How changed the political sky to-day from 
what it was when these words began to be spok- 
en ! Now, thoughtful men are pondering whether, 
after all, these things may not be so. They see 
a powerful organization looming up in the coun- 
try, which appends to the call for their conven- 
tions the names of some of the most influential 
men in the land. They hear them declaring in 
so many words, that what they are determined, 
to do is to sweep away the constitutional barrier 
between them and a coerced observance of Sun- 
day, so that all may be compelled to regard it as 
sacred. What we want, say they, and what we 
are determined to have, is such an amendment of 
the Constitution, 1. That it shall recognize God 
and Christ ; 2. That it shall enable us to secure 
the reading of the Bible in the common schools ; 
3. That we may be enabled to enforce the better 
observance of the Christian Sabbath, i. e., Sun- 
day. 

These declarations, a few years since, would 
have appalled every lover of constitutional lib- 
erty. Every man and woman imbued with a 
proper sense of the genius of our institutions 
would have been struck with horror at the very 
thought of pursuing the course in question. But 
a change has come over the spirit of the land. 
Steadily, the advocates of a day which has no 
authority in the word of God are drifting where 
all before them have done who have sought to 
maintain a human institution upon the claim of 
divine authority. It is idle for them to say at 
this stage of the proceedings that they propose 

in Prophecy," published at the Eeview and Herald Office, Battle 
Creek, Mich. 



74 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

to regard the rights of those who have conscien- 
tious scruples on this subject. God has said that 
the matter will culminate in oppression; nay, even 
though this were not so, reason itself would prove 
that this would be the case. Without question- 
ing the sincerity of the men who at the present 
make these statements, we appeal to that very 
sincerity for the evidence that this matter will 
end just where the Seventh-day Adventists have 
claimed that it would. 

They have convinced themselves that they are 
called of God to a mighty work. They believe 
that they have a noble mission. They are men 
of mind and nerve. But, when a few months 
shall have revealed the insufficiency of their 
logic, when Seventh-day Baptists and Seventh- 
day Adventists shall have confronted them with a 
plain '■' Thus saith the Lord," against their favor- 
ite scheme, they would be more than human if — 
refusing to yield to arguments which they cannot 
answer — -they should continue to look with com- 
placence upon the very men who, after all, will 
prove to be their most formidable antagonists in 
the great conflict. In fact, it would be a denial 
of both nature and history to say that they would 
not at last come to regard them in the light of 
enemies of God, really more worthy of condem- 
nation and coercion than those who were simply 
unbelievers in any Sabbath at all, and so incapa- 
ble of standing before the systematic effort which 
they have set in motion. (b.) 

[b] Persons desiring to investigate this question still further, 
by addressing the author of these articles, will receive by mail, 
Without charge, a tract in which he has discussed at length a 
branch of this subject merely alluded to in this communication. 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 75 

But, candid reader, the facts are before you, 
and between us and these events there will be 
ample time for calm reflection, and deliberate de- 
cision. Where do you choose to stand in this fi- 
nal conflict between the venerable Sabbath of the 
Lord and its modern papistic rival ? Will you 
keep the commandments of God, as uttered by 
his voice and written by his finger ? or will you 
henceforth pay intelligent homage to the man of 
sin, by the observance of a day which finds its 
authority alone in the mutilated form of the com- 
mandments, as they come from his hand ? May 
God help you to make a wise choice. 



76 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 



IMPORTANT TO THE READER, 



The foregoing articles having been published 
in the Christian Statesman, the editor of that 
paper felt it incumbent upon him to attempt an 
answer to the positions that are set forth therein. 
This answer consisted of eleven articles, in which 
the subject matter of debate was discussed from 
the stand-point of one advocating the claims of 
the Sunday, and strenuous in the support of the 
Constitutional Amendment. Conscious of the 
strength of the positions taken, and gratified 
with the prospect of a more full and exhaustive 
discussion of their merits with a competent op- 
ponent, in the columns of a paper devoted, pro- 
fessedly, to the work of bringing out the argu- 
ment on both sides of the reform in which it is 
ostensibly engaged, the writer of the original 
seven articles promptly petitioned the editor of 
the Christian Statesman to grant him the priv- 
ilege of answering his strictures upon what had 
been written, in the same periodical in which 
they had been made. This petition, however, 
was met with an emphatic denial, and the only 
alternative left was that of allowing the replies 
of the editor of the Statesman to go unanswered, 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 77 

or finding space for their consideration in some 
other paper. At this juncture, the columns of 
the Advent Review and Herald of the Sabbath 
were proffered for the desired work, and in them 
the eleven replies of the editor of the Statesman, 
accompanied by an equal number of rejoinders 
thereto, have since been published. 

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Associ- 
ation, also extremely anxious to get all of the 
facts before the public, in order that they may 
decide intelligently in the coming struggle be- 
tween God's commandment-keeping people and 
those who seek to oppress them through legal 
enactments, has at last decided to publish the 
whole debate, including original articles, Replies, 
and Rejoinders, in book and pamphlet form. To 
these works, which are now ready for sale, the 
attention of the candid reader is invited. Fur- 
nishing, as they do, a presentation of the argu- 
ments for and against the Sunday and the 
amendment from the pens of individuals who, it 
is believed, fairly represent the views of the re- 
spective parties to which they belong, and, plac- 
ing side by side the criticisms upon, and defense 
of, an advocate of God's ancient Sabbath, they at 
least have the merit of presenting a real and liv- 
ing issue. While to those who have simply read 
the present tract they will give the other side of 
the views therein maintained, they will also in- 



V8 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

troduce them to additional phases of the same 
subject, which have not been discussed heretofore 
for the want of sufficient space, and supply them 
with a larger amount of evidence in support of 
the positions already advanced ; for example, the 
seventh-part-of-time theory, to which allusion 
ha,s not been made in what has been said hither- 
to, becomes in the Replies and Rejoinders a 
prominent point in debate, while the change of 
the Sabbath by the Roman Catholic church, 
which is a matter of the most -profound interest, 
and which is barely touched upon in the present 
articles, is there elaborated more fully, and sup- 
ported by additional historic and papistic au- 
thority. In fine, since it is never profitable to 
give to an important subject merely a partial 
examination, and since the real strength of doc- 
trines is best exemplified when they are subjected 
to the test of a fair and manly discussion on the 
part of their advocates and opposers, it is be- 
lieved that the individual who has had the pa- 
tience to pursue the investigation of this matter 
thus far cannot afford to stop short of an earnest 
and prayerful reading of the complete discussion. 
The title of the book in question is as follows : 
" The Constitutional Amendment, or the Sunday, 
the Sabbath, the Change, and the Restitution/' 
The volume is a work of 400 pages, in muslin 
binding, printed on paper of good quality, with 



SUNDAY AND THE SABBATH. 79 

large type, leaded, and in every respect executed 
typographically in a neat and workman-like 
manner. The price of this volume, post-paid, is 
one dollar. 

The pamphlet contains the same subject mat- 
ter, but is put up in paper covers instead of 
cloth, while the type is not leaded, as is the case 
with the bound volume. The price of the pam- 
phlet, post-paid, to any address, is forty cents. 

Individuals desiring these works will address 
the Revieiv and Herald Office, Battle Creek, 
Mich. In doing so, let the superscription of 
their letters be plain, and let their own names, 
and those of the town and State in which they 
live, be plainly written, and little or no danger 
need be apprehended from miscarriage by mail. 

For all amounts under two dollars, sent agree- 
ably to the above directions, the S. D. A. Pub- 
lishing Association will be responsible if lost. 
Larger amounts should be sent in post-office or- 
ders, or drafts. 

To dealers and agents wishing to sell the work, 
a liberal discount will be made. 



THE 



CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT: 



— OR — 



THE SUNDAY, THE SABBATH, 



THE 



Change, and Restitution. 



BY W. H. LITTLEJOHN. 



STEAM PRESS 

OF THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION, 

BATTLE CREEK, MICH.: 
1873. 



CATALOGUE 

Of Books, Pamphlets; Tracts, &c, Issued by the Seventh- 
Day Adventist Publishing Association, 
Battle Creek, Mich. 

The Advent Review & Herald of the Sabbath, weekly. 
Terms, $2.00 a year, in advance. 

The Youth's Instructor, monthly, devoted to moral and 
religious instruction. Terms, 50 cts. a year, in advance. 

The Health Reformer, monthly, devoted to an exposi- 
tion of the laws of life, etc. Terms, $1.00 a year, in advance. 

Hymns and Tunes; 320 pages of hymns, 96 pages of 
music ; in plain morocco, $ 1.00. 

A Complete History of the Sabbath and First Day 
of the Week. By J. N. Andrews. $1.00. 

Life Incidents, in connection with the great Advent 
Movement. By Eld. James White. 373 pp., $1.00. 

The Spirit of Prophecy, Vols. 1 & 2. By Ellen G. White 
Each $1.00. 

The Constitutional Amendment: or, The Sunday, The 
Sabbath, The Change, and The Restitution. A Discussion be- 
tween W. H. Littlejohn and the editor of the Christian Statesman. 
Bound, $1.00 ; paper covers, 40 cts. ; First Part, 10 cts. 

Thoughts on the Revelation, critical and practical. 
By U. Smith. 328 pp., $1.00. 

Thoughts on the Book of Daniel, critical and practical. 
By U. Smith. Bound, $1.00; condensed edition, paper, 35 cts. 

The Nature and Destiny of Man. By U. Smith. 384 
pp., bound, $1.00, paper, 40 cts. 

Autobiography of Eld. Joseph Bates, with portrait of 
the author. 318 pp., $1.00. 

How to Live ; comprising a series of articles on Health,, 
and how to preserve it, with various recipes for cooking healthful 
food, &c. 400 pp., $1.00. 

Sabbath Readings ; or Moral and Religious Reading for 
Youth and Children. 400 pp., 60 cts. ; in five pamphlets, 50 cts. 

Appeal to Youth ; Address at the Funeral of Henry N. 
White, etc. Muslin, 40 cts. ; paper covers, 10 cts. 

The Game of Life, with notes. Three illustrations, 5x6 
inches each, representing Satan playing with man for his soul : 
1. The game in progress ; 2. The game lost ; 3. The game won. 
Inboard, 50 cts., in paper, 30 cts. 

Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Camp- meetings and oth- 
er Religious Gatherings. Compiled by Eld. James White. 196 
pp. Bound, 50 cts., paper, 25 cts. 

The United States in Prophecy. By U. Smith. Bound, 
40 cts. ; paper, 20 cts 

Refutation of the Age to Come. By J. H. Waggoner. 
Price, 20 cts. (See 3d page of cover.) 



Progressive Bible Lessons for Children; for Sabbath 
Schools and Families. G. H. Bell. Bound, 35 cts., paper, 25 cts. 

The Advent Keepsake ; comprising a text of Scripture for 
each day of the year, on the subjects of the Second Advent, the 
Resurrection, &c. Plain muslin, 25 cts. ; gilt, 40 cts. 

A Solemn Appeal relative to Solitary Vice, and the 
Abuses and Excesses of the Marriage Relation. Edited by Eld. 
James White. Muslin, 50 cts. ; paper, 30 cts. 

An Appeal to the Working Men and Women in the Rants 
of Seventh-day Adventists. By James White. 172 pp., bound, 
40 cts. ; paper covers, 25 cts. 

Sermons on the Sabbath and Law ; embracing an Out- 
line of the Biblical and Secular History of the Sabbath for 6000 
years. By J. N. Andrews. 25 cts. 

The State of the Dead. By U. Smith. 224 pp., 25 cts. 

History of the Doctrine of the Immortality of the Soul. 
By D. M. Canright. 25 cts. 

Discussion on the Sabbath Question, between Elds. 
Lane and Barnaby. 25 cts. 

The Atonement ; an Examination of a Remedial System 
in the light of Nature and Revelation. By J. H. Waggoner. 20 cts. 

Our Faith and Hope, Nos. 1 & 2. — Sermons on the 
Advent, &c. By James White. Each 20 cts. 

The Nature and Tendency of Modern Spiritualism. 
By J. H. Waggoner. 20 cts. 

The Bible from Heaven ; or, a Dissertation on the Evi- 
dences of Christianity. 20 cts. 

Discussion on the Sabbath Question, between Elds. 
Grant and Cornell. 20 cts. 

Review of Objections to the Visions. U. Smith, 20 cts. 

The Destiny of the Wicked. By U. Smith. 15 cts. 

Complete Testimony of the Fathers, concerning the Sabbath 
and First Day of the Week. By J. N. Andrews. 15 cts. 

The Ministration of Angels ; and the Origin, History, 
and Destiny of Satan. By D. M. Canright. 15 cts. 

The Messages of ReV. 14, particularly the Third Angel's 
Message and Two-Horned Beast. By J. N. Andrews. 15 cts. 

The Resurrection of the Unjust; a Vindication of the 
Doctrine. By J. H. Waggoner. 15 cts. 

The Sanctuary and Twenty-three Hundred Days. 
By J. N. Andrews. 10 cts. 

The Saints' Inheritance ; or, The Earth Made New. 
By J. N. Loughborough. 10 cts. 

The Seventh Part of Time ; a Sermon on the Sabbath 
Question. By W. H. Littlejohn. 10 cts. 

Review of Gilfillan, and other authors, on the Sabbath. 
By T. B. Brown. 10 cts. 

The Date of the Seventy Weeks of Dan. 9 established. 
By J. N. Andrews. 10 cts. (See last page of cover.) 



JPixblica/tiorLS— Continued • 

The Truth Found ; the Nature and Obligation of the Sab- 
bath of the Fourth Commandment. By J. H. Waggoner. 10 cts. 

The Seven Trumpets ; an Exposition of Rev. 8 and 9. 10 cts. 

Vindication of the True Sabbath. By J. W. Morton. 10 cts. 

Sunday Seventh-day Examined. A Refutation of the 
Teachings of Mede, Jennings, Akers, and Fuller. By J. N. An- 
drews. 10 cts. 

Matthew Twenty- Four ; a full exposition of the chapter 
By James White. 10 cts. 

Key to Prophetic Chart; the symbols of Daniel and 
John explained, and the prophetic periods determined. 10 cts. 

The Position and Work of the True People of God 
under the Third Angel's Message. By W. H. Littlejohn. 10 cts. 

An Appeal to the Baptists, from the Seventh-day Bap- 
tists, for the Restoration of the Bible Sabbath. 10 cts. 

Milton on the State of the Dead. 5 cts. 

FOUR- CENT TRACTS: The Two Covenants— The Law 
and the Gospel — The Seventh Part of Time — Who Changed the 
Sabbath? — Celestial Railroad — Samuel and the Witch of Endor — 
The Ten Commandments not Abolished — Address to the Baptists. 

THREE-CENT TRACTS : The Kingdom— Scripture Refer- 
ences — Much in Little — The End of the Wicked — Infidel Cavils 
Considered — Spiritualism a Satanic Delusion — The Lost Time 
Question. 

TWO-CENT TRACTS: The Sufferings of Christ— Seven 
Reasons for Sunday-Keeping Examined — Sabbath by Elihu — The 
Rich Man and Lazarus — The Second Advent — Definite Seventh 
Day — Argument on Sabbaton — Clerical Slander — Departing and 
Being with Christ — Fundamental Principles of S. D. Adventists 
— The Millennium. 

ONE-CENT TRACTS : Appeal on Immortality— Brief 
Thoughts on Immortality — Thoughts for the Candid — Sign of 
the Day of God— The Two Laws— Geology and the Bible— The 
Perfection of the Ten Commandments — The Coming of the Lord 
— Without Excuse. — God's Answers, and Which Day. 

CHARTS : The Prophetic, and Law of God, Charts, 
painted and mounted, such as are used by our preachers, each 
$1.50. The two charts, on cloth, unpainted, by mail, with Key, 
without rollers, $2.50. 

Works in Other Languages. 

The Association also publishes the Advent Tidende, Danish, 
monthly, at $ 1.00 per year, and works on some of the above- 
named subjects in the German, French, Danish, and Holland 
languages. 

jgUr* Any of the foregoing works will be sent by mail to any 
part of the United States, post-paid, on receipt of the prices 
above stated. 

\* Address REVIEW & HERALD, 

Battle Creek, Mich. 



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